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THE     Y-A.CHT     CLUB     SERIES 


LITTLE  BOBTAIL; 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT. 


BY 


OLIVER   OPTIC, 


AUTHOR  OF  "YOTOO  AMERICA  ABROAD,"  "THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY  STORIES, 

"THE  WOODVILLE  STORIES,"  "THE  BOAT   CLUB  STORIES,"  "THE 

STARRY  FLAG  SERIES,"  "THE  LAKE  SHORE 

SERIES,"  ETC. 


(wvu^T^w  A 


WITH  THIRTEEN  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


BOSTON: 

LEE    AND    SHEPARD,   PUBLISHEES. 

NEW  YORK: 

LEE,  SHEPARD  AND  DILLINGHAM. 

1872. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872, 

By  WILLIAM  T.  ADAMS, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  "Washington. 


ELECTEOTYTET)  AT  THE 
BOSTON    STEREOTYTE   FOTTNDKY, 

19  Spring  Lane. 


TO 


MY      YOUNG      FRIEND 
FRANK  RICHARDSON, 

OF  BROOKLYN,  N.Y., 


She  fidrt  «il  jtofe$< 


1.  LITTLE  BOBTAIL ;  or,  The  Wreck  of  the  Penobscot. 
2-  THE  YACHT   CLUB ;  or,  The  Young  Boat-builder. 
(Others  in  preparation.) 


PREFACE 


"  Little  Bobtail  "  is  the  first  volume  of  the  Yacht  Club 
Series,  each  book  of  which  will  contain  an  entirely  indepen- 
dent story,  with  a  hero  of  its  own,  and  having  no  necessary 
connection  with  any  other  story.  The  author  hopes  that  this 
plan  will  commend  itself  to  those  who  do  not  care  to  follow  a 
young  gentleman  through  half  a  dozen  volumes  in  order  to 
know  the  issue  of  his  adventures,  or  to  learn  whether  or  not 
he  is  faithful  to  himself,  to  God,  and  his  fellow-beings  to  the 
end.  God's  truth  is  always  the  same,  and  good  characters 
must  be  very  much  alike.  Little  Bobtail  is  not  very  different" 
from  any  other  hero,  devoted  to  Truth  and  Duty,  though  the 
incidents  of  his  life  are  various  enough  to  satisfy  any  young 
person's  craving  for  novelty. 

The  story  was  suggested  by  some  actual  incidents,  which 
occurred  during  the  brief  summer  residence  of  the  writer  at 
the  locality  of  the  principal  events  described.      Though  there 

5 


6  PREFACE. 

was  a  "Little  Bobtail"  there,  he  was  hardly  the  character 
who  is  the  hero  of  this  work.  Penobscot  Bay,  its  multitude 
of  picturesque  islands,  and  its  beautiful  shores,  are  the  same 
in  fact  as  in  this  fiction,  and  as  for  two  seasons  the  au- 
thor has  lived  upon  the  land  and  sailed  upon  the.  water, 
amid  its  beautiful  scenery,  be  feels  quite  at  home  in  the 
localities   mentioned. 

If  Little  Bobtail  was  loose  in  his  ideas  of  "  smuggling" 
at  first,  he  was  clear  in  all  his  other  views  of  duty;  and 
having  corrected  his  wrong  impressions,  his  example  is 
worthy  to  be  followed.  The  writer  hopes  that,  while  his 
stirring  experience  will  be  enjoyed  by  the  reader,  his  ex- 
cellent character  will  be  appreciated  and  valued  even  more 
than  the  worldly  fortune  he   obtains. 

Harrison  Square,  Boston, 

October  10,  1872. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER    I. 
Sixteen  Years  before H 


CHAPTER   II. 
The  End  op  a  Sad  Story. 29 

CHAPTER    III. 
Little  Bobtail. 47 

CHAPTER    IV. 
The  Jantt  Yacht *  .    65 

CHAPTER    V. 
Monkey .        .        .        .        .81 

CHAPTER    VI. 
Captain  Chinks.  .        .  •" 99 

7 


O  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VII. 
In  the  Cabin  of  the  Skylark. 117 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
A  Chance  for  Business.  .        .        .*..♦.        .  135 

CHAPTER    IX. 
The  Penobscot.  .        .         .        .        .        .        .        .  153 

CHAPTER    X. 
Grace  Montague.       ........  171 

CHAPTER    XI. 
The  Five  Hundred  Dollar  Bill 189 

CHAPTER    XII. 
Captain  Chinks  is  indifferent. 207 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
The  Examination 225 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

The  Discharge.  .        .         .        .  .        ,        .  243 

CHAPTER    XV.       • 
A  Trip  to  Bar  Harbor.    .        .  *     .        .        .        .        .  260 


t 

CONTENTS.  9 


CHAPTER    XVI. 
The  Chase.         . 278 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
The  Wreck  of  the  Penobscot 296 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
Robert  Barkesdale  Montague 313 


LITTLE    BOBTAIL ; 

OE, 

THE   WRECK    OF  THE    PENOBSCOT 


CHAPTER  I. 


SIXTEEN  YEAES  BEFOEE. 


"  TF  you  do,  Edward,  you  are  no  son  of  mine," 
1  said  the  Honorable  Peter  Montague,  wrath- 
fully,  to  the  young  gentleman  who  stood  before 
him  with  bowed  head.  "  If  you  connect  yourself 
in  any  manner  with  the  family  of  Richard  Med- 
way,  I  will  disown  you ;  I  will  never  speak  to  you; 
I  will  n'ever  permit  you  to  come  into  my  presence 
again! " 
'  "But,  father  —  " 

"I  won't  argue  the  matter,"  interposed  the 
irate  old  gentleman.  "You  know  that  Med  way 
and  I  are  sworn  foes ;  that  he  has  injured  me  in 
my  prospects,   in   my  name,   and   reputation.     I 

11 


12  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

wouldn't  forgive  him  if  he  went  down  on  his 
knees  and  sued  for  my  pardon.  He  has  injured 
me  in  that  manner  and  to  that  degree  that  there 
is  no  possibility  of  reconciliation." 

"  But  Mr.  Medway  has  no  such  feelings  towards 
you.  He  respects  you,  in  spite  of  your  differ- 
ences," added  Edward  Montague,  in  the  gentlest 
of  tones. 

"  I  don't  care  what  his  feelings  are  towards  me. 
After  injuring  me  as  he  has,  he  can  afford  to  be  mag- 
nanimous. After  robbing  me  of  my  hopes  and  my 
reputation,  he  can  talk  very  flippantly  about  bury- 
ing the  hatchet. .  I  tell  you  again  there  must  be  no 
relations  of  any  kind  between  his  family  and  mine. 
I  am  astonished  and  indignant,  Edward,  to  think 
that  you  should  allow  yourself  to  be  caught  in  any 
such  trap." 

"  Trap,  father!"  exclaimed  the  young  man,  a 
slight  flush  of  indignation  spreading  over  his"  hand- 
some face. 

"  Yes,  a  trap,  Edward,"  stormed  Mr.  Montague. 
"I  am  a  rich  man, — all  the  world  knows  it, — 
and  you  are  my  only  son.  I  am  worth  a  million 
of  dollars,  at  the  least,  —  not  in  book  accounts  and 
bad   debts,  but  in  real  estate,  stocks,  bonds,  and 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  13 

mortgages.  You  are  a  prize  in  the  lottery, 
Edward." 

The  old  man  looked  at  his  son  with  a  sneer  on 
his  face,  which  was  called  forth  by  the  thought 
that  any  one,  least  of  all  his  bitter  personal  enemy, 
should  aspire  to  hold  any  relations  with  this  para- 
gon of  wealth. 

"I  do  not  think  that  Sara  Medway  or  her 
father  covets  your  weath,"  added  Edward,  in  a 
very  mildly  deprecatory  tone. 

"  You  are  nothing  but  a  boy  !  you  don't  know 
the  world.  You  have  been  at  your  books  till  you 
are  twenty-one  years  old,  and  now  you  are  as 
innocent  of  all  knowledge  of  the  ways  of  men 
as  a  child  in  its  cradle." 

"But,  father,  I  know  that  Sara  Medway  is 
not  an  adventurer,"  added  Edward,  who  was 
more  anxious  to  defend  the  lady  implicated  than 
himself. 

"You  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  raved 
the  old  gentleman,  angered  anew  by  the  protest 
of  the  son. 

"  She  is  as  gentle  as  she  is  beautiful ;  and  I  am 
sure  she  is  not  capable  of  thinking  a  mercenary 
thought." 


14  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"Stuff!  You  talk  like  a  baby,  that  knows 
nothing  of  the  world  —  that's  all." 

"But  you  don't  know  her,"  suggested  Edward, 
who  was  actually  so  simple  as  to  believe  that  this 
consideration  ought  to  have  some  influence  upon 
the  sentence  of  his  father. 

"I  know  her  father,  and  that's  enough.  The 
chances  are,  that  she  is  like  him.  But,  whether 
she  is  like  him  or  not,  there  can  be  no  relations 
between  his  family  and  mine.  Do  you  understand 
me,  Edward?"  demanded  the  Honorable  Mr. 
Montague,  sternly. 

"I  think  I  do,  sir." 

"You  think  you  do,  you  puppy!"  thundered 
the  old  gentleman. 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  you  were  prejudiced 
against  Miss  Medway,"  added  Edward,  musing, 
as  though  he  did  not  desire  to  understand  his 
father. 

"  I  hate  the  whole  race  of  them,  and  I  will 
have  nothing  to  do  or  say  to  any  of  them  ;  and 
you  shall  not,  either." 

The  young  man  made  no  reply;  and  silence 
is  sometimes  more  impudent,  and  sometimes  ex- 
presses more  firmness,  than  speech.     At  any  rate, 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  15 

at  this  time  and  under  these  circumstances,  it 
indicated  that  Edward  Montague  had  a  mind,  a 
will  of  his  own,  and  that,  though  he  did  not  wish 
to  provoke-  his  father  to  wrath,  he  intended  to 
follow  his  own  inclination,  rather  than  consult 
the  unreasonable  prejudices  of  his  father.  Wheth- 
er this  was  a  correct  interpretation  of  the  son's 
purposes  or  not,  the  father  so  regarded  it,  and  his 
wrath  increased  accordingly. 

"  If  I  haven't  spoken  plainly  enough,  I  will 
leave  you  no  chance  of  misunderstanding  me. 
If  you  marry  the  girl,  I  will  disown  you.  Can 
you  understand  that?  If  you  marry  her,  I  will 
never  see  you  or  speak  to  you  again.  Do  you 
think  you  can  understand  that  ?  If  you  marry 
her,  not  a  dollar  of  my  property  shall  ever  be 
yours.  Do  you  fully  comprehend  me  ?  I  mean 
all  I  say,  literally  and  exactly.  I  won't  leave 
you  even  the  hope  of  breaking  my  will  when  I 
am  dead.  I  will  give  away  every  penny'  before 
I  die.  I  will  found  a  hospital,  or  an  insane 
asylum  for  just  such  lunatics  as  you  are,  and 
every  dollar  I  possess  shall  be  in  its  coffers  before 
I  am  put  in  the  ground.  I  hope  you  understand 
me,  Edward." 


16  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"I  think  I  do,  sir,"  replied  the  young  man, 
sadly. 

"  You  think  you  do  !  " 

"It  is  not  possible  to  misunderstand  you,  fa- 
ther ;  I  fully  understand  your  views." 

"Well,  what  have  you  to  say?"  stormed  the 
father. 

"  I  do  not  see  that  anything  can  be  said." 

"  Your  intentions  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  can  only  submit." 

"You  begin  to  be  sensible.  You  are  my  son 
my  only  son,  Edward,"  said  the  old  gentleman, 
in  a  milder  tone.  All  my  hopes  are  in  you.  I 
have  never  been  hard  with  you." 

"  You  have  not,  father." 

"But  I  would  rather  lose  every  dollar  I  have 
in  the  world  to-day,  and  begin  life  anew  at  the 
age  of  sixty,  than  see  you  the  husband  of  Med- 
way's  daughter.  I  mean  just  what  I  say,  and 
nothing  less.     It  would  break  my  heart." 

The  young  man  wanted  to  say  that  it  would 
break  his  heart  not  to  be  the  husband  of  Sara' 
Medway;  but  he  had  learned  to  temporize  and 
be  insincere  before  the  unreasonable  wrath  of  his 
father,  and  he  was  silent. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  17 

"You  are  twenty-one  now.  You  have  gone 
through  college,  and  have  only  to  study  your 
profession.  You  needn't  make  hard  work  of  it, 
for  you  will  not  be  obliged  to  drudge  for  a  living ; 
but  you  may  wish  to  go  into  politics,  and  as  a 
lawyer  you  will  succeed  better.  You  shall  have 
all  the  money  you  want.  I  have  already  decided 
to  give  you  an  allowance  of  five  thousand  a  year, 
and  you  can  check  it  from  the  bank  as  you  want 
it.  Go  to  Europe  for  the  next  year  or  two,  if 
you  wish ;  travel  in  your  own  country  first,  if 
you  like.  Your  health  is  somewhat  shaken  by 
your  confinement  in  college,  and  a  couple  of 
years'  recreation  will  do  you  good.  You  needn't 
hurry  about  your  profession.  Please  yourself, 
Edward,  in  everything  except  this  Medway  mat- 
ter; and  don't  let  me  hear  another  word  about 
this  girl;  don't  go  near  her;  don't  write  to 
her." 

The  Honorable  Mr.  Montague,  having  de- 
livered himself  of  his  harsh  threat,  and  having 
smoothed  it  over  in  the  most  gingerly  manner 
he  could,  walked  out  of  the  library,  where  the 
conversation  had  taken  place.  He  evidently  felt 
relieved,  and,  perhaps,  thought  that  he  had  bravely 
2 


18  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

met  a  great  responsibility,  and  had  done  his  whole 
duty  faithfully  to  his  son.  He  honestly  believed 
that  the  Honorable  Mr.  Medway  was  a  villain  of 
the  blackest  dye,  not  only  politically,  but  morally 
and  socially ;  and,  this  postulate  admitted,  it  fol- 
lowed, by  his  narrow  reasoning,  that  Mrs.  Med- 
way, Miss  Medway,  and  all  that  related  to  the 
fountain  Medway  were,  utterly  vile  and  villanous. 
He  hated  the  father,  and  he  could  not  help  hating 
the  daughter. 

Mr.  Montague  was  a  Whig,  and  Mr.  Medway 
was  a  Democrat ;  or,  Mr.  Montague  was  a  Demo- 
crat, and  Mr.  Medway  was  a  Whig ;  we  cannot 
tell  just- how  this  was;  it  is  enough  to  say  that 
they  were  on  opposite  sides  in  politics.  Mr.  Mon- 
tague was  a  wealthy  man,  and  Mr.  Medway  was 
not ;  and  both  of  them  were  nominated  for  Con- 
gress in  the  same  district,  in  the  State  of  Maine. 
It  was  a  close  contest,  and  party  rancor  was  very 
bitter.  Not  only  the  public  acts,  but  the  private 
liv§s  of  the  candidates  were  criticised  in  the  sever- 
est manner  by  the  opposition ;  and  an  unbiassed 
spectator,  believing  all  that  was  said,  would  have 
promptly  concluded  that  both  of  them  were 
unmitigated   scoundrels.      Mr.   Montague   had   a 


THE  WRECK   OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  19 

skeleton  in  an  almost  forgotten  closet,  and,  some- 
how, this  skeleton  stalked  out  into  the  political 
arena,  and  perhaps  frightened  away  some  of  its 
owner's  adherents.  Perhaps  it  was  a  forgotten 
and  repented  sin ;  but  Mr.  Montague's  opponents 
made  the  most  of  it.  Now,  this  gentleman,  from 
certain  circumstances  which  need  not  be  ex- 
plained, was  satisfied  that  Mr.  Medway  had  trot- 
ted out  this  skeleton  and  held  it  up  as  a  bugbear 
to  the  people,  and  he  hated  his  rival  with  all  his 
mind,  heart,  and  soul. 

The  election  came,  and  Mr.  Montague  was 
defeated  by  a  very  small  majority.  He  had  been 
sure  that  he  should  be  chosen,  and  the  result 
intensified  his  hatred  of  his  successful  opponent 
to  a  degree  which  made  it  little  short  of  insanity. 
Years  hardly  moderated  its  fervor,  though  it 
ceased  to  find  frequent  expression.  The  hope 
of  long  years  was  frustrated ;  the  crown  of  glory 
and  success  was  denied  him,  he  firmly  believed, 
by  the  villany  of  his  rival  in  exposing  the  skel- 
eton in  the  closet.  He  was  a  defeated  candidate. 
The  prestige  was  against  him  ;  and,  in  the  state 
of  parties,  he  could  not  hope   to  be   nominated 


20  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

again.  His  enemy  had  overwhelmed  him  once 
and  for  all. 

It  is  fair  to  say  that  Mr.  Medway  knew  nothing 
about  the  skeleton,  had  not  brought  it  forward, 
and  did  not  even  believe  in  its  existence. 

The  Honorable  Mr.  Medway  went  to  Congress, 
and  was  once  re-elected,  though  he  did  not  par- 
ticularly distinguish  himself  as  an  orator  or  a 
blackguard.  He  was  a  quiet,  sensible  man,  who 
always  voted  on  party  lines.  He  had  a  wife  and 
one  daughter,  who  endured  Washington  life  for 
one  term,  but  after  this  preferred  to  spend  the 
winters  with  Mrs.  Medway' s  sister  in  Brunswick. 
This  lady's  husband  was  a  professor  in  the  college, 
and  some  of  the  students  occasionally  visited  in 
his  family.  Edward  Montague  was  one  of  this 
number. 

Sara  Medway  was  a  beautiful  girl  of  his  own 
age ;  and  the  young  man,  having  been  absent 
during  the  political  contest,  and  neither  knowing 
nor  caring  anything  about  its  merits  or  demerits, 
was  stupid  enough  to  fall  in  love  with  the  pro- 
fessor's fair  guest.  He  was  very  attentive  to  her, 
and  the  affair  became  town  talk,  as  such  affairs 
usually   do.     His  father  heard  of  it ;  but  he  had 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  21 

no  opportunity  to  remonstrate  with  him  in  a  very 
decided  manner  until  after  Edward  was  graduated. 
When  he  went  home,  the  interview  we  have 
narrated  occurred.  The  young  man  was  con- 
founded at  the  violence  of  his  father,  and  aston- 
ished to  find  that  the  old  gentleman,  who  had 
always  been  indulgent  to  the  last  degree,  even  to 
his  follies  and  vices,  could  be  so  harsh  and  im- 
placable. There  could  be  no  mistaking  his  fa- 
ther's meaning ;  and  Edward  was  obliged  to 
accept  the  issue. 

Mr.  Medway  had  finished  his  second  congres- 
sional term,  and  come  home  with  his  family. 
Edward  tried  hard  to  obey  his  father,  and  trav- 
elled till  October.  When'  he  returned  he  heard 
with  dismay  that  Sara  Medway  was  ill,  and  had 
some  of  the  symptoms  of  incipient  consumption. 
He  had  not  seen  her  for  three  months.  Though 
not  engaged,  he  was  confident  that  she  recipro- 
cated his  affection ;  and  his  conscience  smote  him 
as  he  thought  his  abrupt  termination  of  their  ac- 
quaintance might  have  affected  her  health.  But 
Edward  dreaded  his  father's  anger,  while  he 
could  not  wholly  resist  his  impulses. 

One  evening  he  stealthily  called  at  the  house 


22  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OK 

of  Mr.  Medway,  and  was  cordially  welcomed  by 
all,  and  especially  by  Sara.  More  than  ever  before 
lie  realized  the  depth  of  her  affection,  and  traced 
in  her  looks,  her  tones,  and  the  blnshes  upon 
her  pale  cheek,  the  triumphal  joy  with  which 
she  again  welcomed  him  to  her  presence.  He 
could  not  tell  her  that  he  should  come  no  more ; 
but,  while  her  mother  left  the  room  for  a  few 
moments,  he  spoke  a  whole  volume  in  a  few 
words,  and  she  frankly  declared  her  sentiments 
towards  him.     In  a  word,  they  were  engaged. 

Before  he  bade  her  adieu  for  the  night,  her 
father  came  home.  He  knew  his  daughter's 
preference,  —  not  that  she  had  in  words  betrayed 
the  secret  of  her  soul,  —  and  was  rejoiced  to 
see  the  young  man.  He  expressed  his  satis- 
faction without  reserve.  Edward  was  troubled, 
not  alone  at  the  prospect  of  losing  his  father's 
fortune,  but  with  the  fear  of  his  father's  wrath. 
He  dreaded  the  rupture  that  would  separate  the 
only  son  from  his  father.  Mr.  Medway  invited 
him  to  smoke  a  cigar  in  the  library.  Edward 
disclosed  what  had  passed  between  himself  and 
Sara,  and  detailed  his  interview  with  his  father. 
Mr.  Medway  was  astonished  and  shocked  at  the 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  23 

unreasonableness  of  his  late  rival.  He  knew  that 
Mr.  Montague  disliked  him,  avoided  him,  and 
refused  to  take  part  in  any  enterprise  with  him  ; 
but  he  had  no  suspicion  of  the  depth  of  his  hatred. 
He  was  sorely  troubled  because  his  own  presumed 
errors  were  visited  upon  his  innocent  daughter. 

Sara  was  sad  and  moody  after  Edward  ceased 
so  suddenly  to  visit  her,  and  her  parents  believed 
that  her  health  had  been  impaired  by  her  sorrow. 
Her  father  hoped  and  believed  that  the  return  of 
Edward  would  prove  to  be  the  panacea  to  restore 
her ;  and  the  young  man's  confession  appalled 
him.  He  could  not  counsel  him  to  forsake  fortune 
and  family  for  his  daughter's  sake,  even  while  he 
feared  that  his  refusal  to  do  so  would  be  fatal  to 
her*  He  could  give  no  advice,  though  the  young 
man  asked  for  it.  He  volunteered  to  conceal  the 
fact  of  Edward's  visit,  which  was  several  times 
repeated  with  the  same  privacy. 

Sara's  health  improved  as  her  cheerfulness 
returned ;  but  her  physician  dreaded  the  long, 
cold  winter.  About  this  time  appeared  a  volume 
entitled  Gan-Eden,  or  Pictures  of  Cuba,  which 
fell  into  Mr.  Medway's  hands.  He  read  it,  and 
was  fully  impressed  with  the  desirableness  of  Cuba 


24  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

as  a  winter  residence  for  consumptives.  He  sug- 
gested the  thought  to  the  doctor,  and  the  result 
was,  that  Mr.  Medway  went  to  the  island  with  his 
wife  and  daughter.  Edward  saw  her  before  her 
departure,  and  their  plighting  was  renewed,  with 
the  hope  of  meeting  in  the  spring. 

When  she  had  gone,  he  was  moody  and  dis- 
contented. A  few  weeks  later  Tom  Barkesdale, 
his  chum  in  college,  who  resided  in  New  Orleans, 
came  to  his  home  to  spend  a  few  days.  Edward 
and  his  father  were  courteous  and  munificent 
hosts,  and  did  all  that  was  possible  to  make  the 
guest  happy.  He  was  happy,  but  he  could  not 
help  seeing  that  his  old  college  friend  was  not. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you,  Ned?"  said  Tom, 
as  they  sailed  in  a  small  yacht  on  the  bright  waters 
of  Penobscot  Bay,  on  one  of  the  soft  days  of  the 
Indian  summer.  "  You  are  as  blue  as  a  Yankee 
whetstone." 

"  Am  I  ?  I  was  not  aware  of  it,"  replied  Ed- 
ward, shaking  off  his  moodiness  for  the  moment. 

"  Yes,  you  are.  If  I  stop  talking  for  a  moment, 
you  sink  away  into  a  gloomy  dream.  You  seem  to 
me  to  be  half  muddled.     What  ails  you  ?  " 

"  O,  nothing." 


THE   WRECK  OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  25 

"  I  don't  believe  you.  You  haven't  seemed  at 
all  natural  since  I  came.  I  hope  I'm  not  in  the 
way  of  anything." 

"  Certainly  not,  Tom.  You  are  never  in  the 
way." 

"But,  candidly  and  seriously,  now,  what  ails 
you?" 

"Nothing  at  all  ails  me,  my  dear  fellow.  If 
anything  did,  I  would  tell  you  sooner  than  I  would 
my  own  father." 

"Not  in  love  — are  you,  Ned?"  added  Tom, 
straightening  up,  and  looking  full  into  the  face  of 
his  friend.  "  By  the  way,  where  is  the  daughter 
of  that  member  of  Congress  whom  you  used  to  be 
sweet  upon  ?  " 

"  She  has  gone  to  Cuba  to  spend  the  winter," 
replied  Edward. 

"I  see  just  how  the  land  lies  now.  She  has 
gone  to  Cuba  for  her  health,  and  you  are  pining 
away  in  solitude  in  the  frozen  north.  But,  Ned, 
didn't  you  write  me  that  the  affair  had  slipped  up, 
fallen  through,  or  something  of  that  sort  ?  " 

"I  thought  it  had;  but  I  didn't  know  myself," 
replied  the  lover,  with  a  sigh. 

"  O,  ho !    I  see.     She's  a  beautiful  girl.     Upon 


26  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OE, 

my  word,  I  envy  you,  Ned.  If  you  hadn't 
stepped  in  before  me,  my  dear  fellow,  I  should 
have  fallen  into  that  trap  myself." 

"  Don't  say  anything  about  a  trap,  Tom.  You 
make  me  shudder." 

"What  ails  you,  Ned?  Isn't  it  all  smooth  — 
the  course  of  true  love,  and  all  that  sort  of  tiling  ? 
Has  she  given  you  the  mitten  ?  " 

"No,  no.  Everything  is  lovely  so  far  as  she  is 
concerned." 

"Is  her  father  inimical?  Does  her  mother 
dislike  you,  or  her  grandmother  frown  upon  your 
hopes  ?  " 

"  No.  Her  father  and  mother  are  entirely 
satisfied  to  let  the  affair  take  its  course." 

"  Then  what  are  you  moping  about  ?  "  demanded 
Tom. 

"  The  opposition  comes  from  my  father,"  an- 
swered Edward,  as  he  tacked  the  boat,  and  stood 
off  on  a  long  stretch,  evidently  with  the  intention 
of  telling  his  friend  all  about  it. 

"  What  has  your  father  to  do  with  it?"  asked 
Tom. 

"  He  dislikes  her  father." 

u  But,  if  I  understand  you  correctly,  you  don't 
purpose  to  marry  her  father." 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  27 

"  There  is  an  old  feud,  a  political  affair,  between 
them.  The  row  occurred  while  I  was  away  from 
home,  fitting  for  college,"  added  Edward,  as  he 
proceeded  to  disclose  his  present  relations  with 
Sara  Medway,  and  to  explain  the  nature  and 
intensity  of  his  father's  opposition  to  the  match. 

"  That's  awkward,  Ned,"  said  Tom.  "  Your 
governor  is  a  hard  case  on  a  feud." 

"  But  in  everything  else  he  is  as  indulgent  as 
he  can  he.  I  tried  to  be  dutiful,  even  in  a  matter 
of  this  kind ;  and  I  did  not  see  Miss  Medway  for 
three  months.  Then  I  heard  she  was  ill,  and  my 
conscience  reproached  me.  I  called  to  see  her. 
I  shall  never  forget  the  expression  of  joy  she 
bestowed  upon  me.  She  is  as  much  attached  to  me 
as  I  am  to  her,  and  I  know  that  if  I  desert  her  she 
will  die  of  grief." 

"  You  have  a  good  opinion  of  yourself,  Ned." 

"I  am  in  earnest.  I  think  so.  I  made  the.  first 
advances,  not  she." 

"  I  should  hope  not,"  laughed  Tom. 

"  And  for  that  reason  I  feel  a  sense  of  responsi- 
bility, in  addition  to  my  devotion  to  Sara.  Now 
you  know  all.     What  can  I  do  ?  " 

"  Upon  my  word,  Ned,  that's  a  hard  question ; 
and  a  man  must  be  a  Solon  to  advise  you." 


28  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

"  You  are  the  sole  nn  who  can  advise  me,  Tom," 
replied  Edward,  with  a  sickly  smile. 

"  That's  a  lovesick  pun.  You  are  in  a  tight 
place.  If  you  hold  on,  you  will  be  frozen  to 
death  ;  if  you  let  go,  you  will  be  burned  to  death. 
But  I  am  inclined  to  think,  my  dear  fellow,  from 
what  I  have  seen  of  you  since  I  came  here,  that 
there  is  still  a  third  consideration.  If  you  obey 
your  governor,  the  girl  will  die  of  grief;  if  you 
marry  her,  you  lose  fortune  and  father  ;  but  if  you 
retain  fortune  and  father,  you  may  die  of  grief 
yourself.  You  are  moping  now ;  you  look  pale, 
and  the  situation  is  wearing  upon  you." 

"But  what  can  I  do?" 

"  I'll  tell  you.  I'm  going  to  read  law  this 
winter  with  Colonel  Bushnel,  in  New  Orleans. 
Come  with  me,  and  we  will  read  law  together. 
Before  spring  we  shall  be  able  to  solve  the 
problem." 

The  boat  returned  to  the  town.  Edward  liked 
the  plan,  for  Louisiana  was  nearer  Cuba  than 
Maine  was.  His  father  did  not  seriously  object ; 
and  in  another  fortnight  both  the  young  men  were 
in  the  Crescent  City. 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE   PENOBSCOT.  29 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  END   OF  A   SAD   STORY. 

IN  New  York  Edward  Montague  mailed  a  letter 
to  Sara  Medway.  Before  lie  had  been  in  New 
Orleans  a  week  her  answer  came  to  him.  She 
was  better ;  her  cough  had  entirely  left  her,  and 
she  slept  well.  Nothing  was  needed  to  make 
her  happy  but  his  presence. 

"  Go,  Ned ;  go,  by  all  means,"  said  Tom  Barkes- 
dale. 

"But  my  father—  " 

"  Never  mind  your  father,"  interposed  Tom, 
whose  impetuous  southern  temperament  could 
hardly  brook   the   cold   caution   of  his  friend. 

"  I  promised  to  write  to  him  at  least  once  a 
month." 

"  Do  so,  then." 

"  But  my  letters  will  betray  me." 

"Date  them  at  New   Orleans,  a  day  or  two 


30  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

ahead,  and  send  them  to  me  under  cover.  I  will 
mail  them  here,  and  your  father  will  believe  you 
are  in  this  city  all  the  time." 

"  That's  a  mean  deception,"  said  Edward, 
whose  impulses  were  rather  above  such  conduct. 

"  All  is  fair  in  love  and  war,"  laughed  Tom. 
"  Your  letters  from  home  will  come  here,  and  I 
will  forward  them  to  you." 

Under  the  temptation  that  beset  him  Edward 
did  not  long  consider  this  scheme  before  he  adopt- 
ed it;  and  he  went  to  Havana  in  the  steamer 
which  had  brought  the  letter  from  Sara.  The 
Medways  were  still  in  the  city,  for  the  cottage  at 
Limonar,  which  was  to  be  their  residence,  was  not 
yet  ready  for  their  reception.  On  his  arrival  Ed- 
ward found  father  and  daughter  plunged  in  the 
deepest  grief.  However  the  climate  agreed  with 
Sara,  it  did  not  agree  with  her  mother.  She  was 
taken  sick  in  a  sudden  and  violent  manner,  and 
in  less  than  three  days  she  breathed  her  last, 
though  she  was  attended  by  the  most  skilful  resi- 
dent and  foreign  physicians. 

Edward's  office  was  now  that  of  comforter,  and 
his  presence  alone  seemed  to  save  the  stricken 
ones  from  utter  despair.     Both  father  and  daugh- 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  31 

ter  leaned  upon  him,  and  lie  faithfully  discharged 
the  duties  which  devolved  upon  him.  After  the 
funeral  of  Mrs.  Medway,  Edward  conducted  Mr. 
Medway  and  Sara  to  their  new  home  at  Limonar. 
In  a  few  weeks  the  poignancy  of  their  grief  was 
abated ;  but  Edward's  presence  seemed  to  be  even 
more  necessary  than  ever.  Tom  Barkesdale  for- 
warded his  letters  and  cashed  his  drafts  in  New 
Orleans ;  and  the  Honorable  Mr.  Montague  in 
Maine  had  no  suspicion  that  his  son  was  not  read- 
ing law  in  the  Crescent  City. 

Two  months  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Medway, 
Edward  Montague  was  privately  married,  by  an 
English  clergyman,  to  Sara  Medway.  The  cir- 
cumstances seemed  to  justify  the  breaking  through 
of  the  ordinary  proprieties  which  regulate  the  in- 
terval between  a  funeral  and  a  wedding.  This 
event  seemed  to  sweep  away  all  the  clouds  which 
lowered  over  the  happiness  of  the  young  people. 

Edward  had  made  up  his  mind  to  face  the  wrath 
of  his  father,  but  he  desired  to  postpone  the  tem- 
pest as  long  as  possible.  He  wrote  to  Tom  a  full 
account  of  the  step  he  had  taken,  and  that  worthy 
assured  him  he  could  conceal  his  marriage  for  an 
indefinite   period.      The  young   husband   did  not 


32  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

flatter  himself  that  even  a  year  could  elapse  before 
the  momentous  secret  would  be  exposed.  There 
were  scores  of  invalids  at  Limonar,  but,  fortunate- 
ly, none  who  recognized  him  or  the  Medways.  He 
was  very  happy  in  his  new  relation,  and  the  health 
of  his  wife  appeared  to  be  completely  restored. 

Letters  came  regularly  from  his  father  —  brief, 
business-like  epistles,  in  which  the  old  gentleman, 
in  his  clumsy  way,  expressed  his  affection  for  his 
son.  Edward  used  his  spare  time  in  reading  law 
and  studying  the   Spanish  language. 

In  the  spring  Edward's  letters,  in  accordance 
with  a  suggestion  from  Tom,  began  to  hint  at  a 
trip  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  for  it  was  hardly 
possible  for  the  young  couple  to  spend  the  summer 
in  Cuba.  In  May  Edward  went  to  New  Orleans 
with  his  wife,  but  was  very  careful  to  avoid  pub- 
lic places.  Two  months  later,  attended  by  Tom, 
the  party  went  up  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri 
Rivers,  and  spent  the  summer  in  a  quiet  village. 
From  this  point  Edward  went  home  to  pass  a 
month  with  his  father,  in  order  to  remove  any 
suspicion  in  the  old  gentleman's  mind,  if  any  had 
been  created ;  but  the  old  gentleman  had  never  re- 
ceived even  a  hint  of  the  new  relation  of  his  son. 


THE   WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  33 

The  news  of  Mrs.  Medway' s  death  had  reached 
the  town,  and  it  was  known  that  Sara  and  her 
father  were  spending  the  winter  in  the  west. 
This  intelligence  had  been  communicated  by  Mr. 
Medway,  who,  of  course,  did  not  allude  to  the 
marriage  of  his  daughter. 

After  spending  a  month  at  home,  Edward  de- 
parted for  the  west,  saying  that  he  was  to  meet 
Tom  Barkesdale  at  St.  Louis,  and,  after  a  trip  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  they  would  return  to  New 
Orleans,  and  resume  their  law  studies.  The 
young  man  wrote  to  his  father  from  the  place 
where  he  joined  his  wife  and  father-in-law.  In 
the  autumn  the  party  went  to  the  south,  and,  as 
sodh  as  it  was  prudent  to  do  so,  Edward,  his  wife, 
and  Mr.  Medway  returned  to  Cuba.  The  cottage 
at  Limonar  was  just  as  they  had  left  it,  and  they 
resumed  their  quiet  domestic  life  as  before.  Ed- 
ward had  observed,  with  fear  and  trembling,  that 
some  of  the  consumptive  symptoms  of  his  wife 
appeared  while  she  was  at  the  north.  Indeed, 
she  had  brought  back  with  her  a  hacking  cough, 
which,  however,  soon  yielded  to  the  softening 
influence  of  the  climate. 

Limonar  is  but  a  short  distance  from  Matanzas, 
3 


34  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

by  railroad,  and  either  Mr.  Medway  or  Edward 
was  obliged  to  visit  the  city  occasionally,  to  pro- 
cure the  comforts  and  luxuries  not  to  be  had  in  a 
country  village. 

Sara's  knowledge  of  Spanish  was  very  limited, 
though  by  this  time  Edward  spoke  it  quite  flu- 
ently. Her  Spanish  servants  were  a  constant  per- 
plexity to  her,  and  she  very  much  desired  to 
obtain  an  English  or  American  woman  to  perform 
the  ordinary  offices  of  the  household.  On  one  of 
his  visits  to  the  city  Edward  met  an  American 
woman  in  great  distress.  Her  husband  was  a 
cooper,  with  whom  she  had  come  from  a  seaport 
town  in  Maine,  to  better  their  fortunes.  High 
wages  tempted  him  to  remain  through  the  sum- 
mer ;  but  as  late  as  October  he  fell  a  victim  to 
yellow  fever.  He  had  sent  most  of  his  surplus 
funds  home,  and  his  widow  soon  exhausted  her 
scanty  supply  of  money.  Instead  of  applying  to 
the  American  consul,  she  went  to  live  with  an 
English  family  as  a  nurse.  But  there  she  was 
taken  sick  herself,  and  was  sent  away  from  her 
comfortable  home  to  a  boarding-house,  lest  she 
should  communicate  some  contagious  disease  to 
her  employer's  family.     Here  she  had  contracted 


THE   WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  35 

a  debt  which  she  could  not  pay,  and  was  seeking 
a  friend  to  assist  her,  when  she  met  Edward  in 
a  shop.  Hearing  him  speak  English,  she  ad- 
dressed him. 

Though  Mrs.  Wayland  desired  only  to  return 
to  her  home  in  Maine,  Edward  prevailed  upon  her 
to  go  with  him  to  Limonar.  He  paid  her  debts, 
provided  her  with  everything  she  needed,  and 
offered  her  large  wages.  All  were  so  kind  and 
indulgent  to  her  that  she  soon  became  much  at- 
tached to  her  new  friends.  When  she  had  been 
a  month  at  the  cottage,  Edward  Montague  became 
the  happy  father  of  a  fine  boy. 

But  with  this  joy  came  the  heaviest  of  sorrows. 
Sara's  health  began  to  fail,  and  the  incipient  mala- 
dy which  had  been  working  upon  her  physical 
frame  so  silently  for  years  rapidly  developed  itself. 
The  delicious  climate  had  lost  its  influence ;  and 
when  the  boy  was  only  three  months  old,  his 
mother  breathed  her  last.  Edward  and  Mr.  Mecl- 
way  were  stunned  by  the  blow,  and  wept  as  those 
without  hope.  The  young  wife  was  buried  by  the 
side  of  the  mother  in  the  cemetery  in  the  vicinity 
of  Havana. 

There  was  no  longer  any  motive  for  the  surviv- 


36  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

ors  to  remain  in  Cuba.  Limonar  had  lost  all  its 
glory  now,  and  Edward  could  not  endure  the 
sight  of  the  familiar  localities  which  had  been 
hallowed  by  the  presence  of  his  lost  wife.  Mr. 
Medway  was  alone  in  the  world.  His  own  health 
was  feeble,  and  he  desired  only  to  return  to  his 
native  land.  His  spirit  was  broken,  and  all  this 
world  seemed  to  have  passed  away.  It  was  decid- 
ed that  Mr.  Medway,  with  Mrs.  Wayland  and  the 
child,  should  take  the  steamer  for  New  York,  and 
return  to  Maine,  while  Edward  went  home  by  the 
way  of  New  Orleans. 

Much  as  the  young  father  had  loved  his  boy 
before,  he  appeared  to  be  in  a  measure  indifferent 
to  him  now.  His  wife  and  child  were  a  real  joy ; 
but  the  boy  alone  only  reminded  him  of  her  whom 
he  had  lost. 

When  the  steamer  arrived  at  New  York,  Mr. 
Medway  was  too  feeble  to  travel.  Mrs.  Wayland 
was  a  faithful  nurse  to  him ;  but  her  charge  died 
in  a  week  after  he  landed.  The  last  of  the  family 
was  gone.  His  remains  were  sent  home,  and  Mrs. 
Wayland  and  the  child  went  with  them.  She 
knew  the  whole  of  the  story  we  have  related ; 
and,  in  his  last  illness,  Mr.  Medway  had  impressed 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  37 

upon  her  mind,  in  the  strongest  mannerf  the 
necessity  of  entire  secrecy  in  regard  to  his  daugh- 
ter's marriage  and  the  paternity  of  the  child.  If 
Edward  chose  to  acknowledge  it,  he  would  do  so 
in  due  time. 

Mrs.  Wayland  had  no  relations  to  trouble  them- 
selves about  her  affairs ;  and  when  she  appeared 
in  Camden,  which  had  been  the  residence  of  her 
husband,  no  one  thought  of  asking  whether  or 
not  the  child  was  her  own.  She  volunteered  no 
information  on  this  subject;  and,  recovering  the 
money  which  her  husband  had  sent  home,  she  was 
comfortably  situated  for  the  present.  She  found  a 
good  boarding-place,  and  devoted  herself  wholly 
to  the  little  one,  who  already  occupied  a  large 
place  in  her  affections. 

Edward  Montague  went  to  New  Orleans,  and 
when  he  presented  himself  before  his  college 
friend,  he  looked  like  another  man,  so  severe  had 
been  the  workings  of  his  grief  upon  him.  Tom 
Barkesdale  pressed  his  hand  in  silence,  for  he  had 
already  been  informed  by  letter  of  the  sad  event 
of  the  last  month. 

"It  is  all  over  with  me  now,  Tom,"  said  he, 
gloomily,  as  the  tears  gathered  in  his  hollow  eyes. 


38  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"Don't  take  it  so  hardly,  Ned.  Time  softens 
the  severest  trials." 

"  Not  mine.     I  am  ready  to  die  myself  now." 

"  No  you  are  not.  Don't  give  up  the  battle  so. 
Be  a  man." 

"  I  can  be  nothing  now.  I  shall  go  home,  and 
let  my  life  ebb  out  with  my  sorrows." 

"Don't  go  home  as  you  are  now.  You  will 
only  make  your  father  miserable.  You  have  no 
right  to  do  that." 

"I  must  tell  him  all." 

"Don't  do  it,  Ned." 

"Why  not?" 

"  It  will  only  vex  and  torment  your  governor 
to  no  purpose.  He  is  an  old  man,  and  cannot  live 
many  years  more.  Don't  disturb  him  with  the 
reflection  that  you  have  disobeyed  him." 

"But  my  child!" 

"  Keep  the  child  in  the  shade  for  a  few  years," 
said  Tom ;  and  Edward  fully  understood  him. 
"  One  of  these  days  you  can  acknowledge  it,  and 
all  will  be  well.  Out  of  regard  to  your  father's 
happiness  you  ought  to  keep  still." 

"  As  my  wife  is  dead  now,  I  hope  he  will  for- 
give me." 


THE  WEECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  39 

"  Perhaps  he  would,  perhaps  not.  What  is  the 
use  of  stirring  up  the  waters  and  making  a  storm, 
when  everything  is  quiet  now?  " 

"  But  my  father  cannot  help  seeing  that  some- 
thing has  happened  to  me.  I  can  never  be  as  I 
was  before." 

"  Wait  and  see,"  replied  the  more  philosophic 
young  man. 

A  letter  came  from  Mr.  Montague  a  few  days 
later.  It  was  in  the  usual  quiet  tone,  with  the 
gossip  and  news  of  the  town.  Edward  dreaded 
the  thought  of  disturbing  the  serenity  of  his  fa- 
ther's life.  He  felt  now  that  he  ought  not  to  have 
deceived  the  old  gentleman ;  that  it  would  have 
been  better  to  face  his  wrath.  He  was  sure  that 
his  own  and  Sara's  happiness  required  that  he 
should  marry  her ;  and  he  could  not  reproach 
himself  for  this  step.  But  by  this  miserable  de- 
ception—  successful  as  it  had  been  —  he  had 
stepped  from  the  high  plane  of  honor  and  truth. 
He  was  utterly  dissatisfied  with  himself ;  and  all 
the  more  so  because  he  realized  that  his  wife  was 
worthy  of  all  the  sacrifice  he  could  have  made  for 
her  sake.  Tom  Barkesclale  reasoned  from  a  differ- 
ent point  of  view,  and  insisted  that  the  matter 


40  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

was  best  as  it  was.  Edward  had  done  right  in 
marrying  Sara,  and  it  was  quite,  proper  to  save 
Mr.  Montague  from  the  pain  and  misery  of  a  use- 
less opposition. 

Then  came  another  letter  from  Mrs.  Wayland, 
announcing  her  safe  arrival  in  New  York  and  the 
illness  of  Mr.  Medway. 

"I  must  go  to  New  York  at  once,"  said  Edward. 

"  Don't  you  do  it.  You  will  undo  everything 
that  has  been  done,  if  you  do.  Probably  Mr. 
Medway  has  been  seasick  overmuch.  He  will  be 
all  right  in  a  few  days.  Wait  till  you  hear  again, 
at  least." 

He  did  wait,  and  the  next  letter  informed  him 
of  the  death  of  his  father-in-law,  and  that  his 
remains  had  been  sent  to  his  friends  in  Maine. 
Mrs.  Wayland  added  that  she  should  go  to  Cam- 
den at  once,  where  a  letter  from  him  would  reach 
her. 

"It  is  no  use  for  you  to  go  now,  Ned,"  said 
Tom.     "  You  can  do  no  good." 

"  I  ought  to  have  gone  before." 

"  As  you  didn't  go  before,  it  cannot  be  helped. 
Your  father  thinks  you  are  diligently  reading  law 
in  the  office  of  Colonel  Bushnell,  in  New  Orleans. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  41 

We  can't  help  the  past ;  but  I  advise  you  to 
deceive  him  no  longer." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"  Go  into  the  office  and  read  law  with  all  your 
might.  Then  you  will  be  deceiving  him  no 
longer.  You  will  be  doing  just  what  he  thinks 
you  are  doing,"  replied  Tom,  lightly. 

"And  not  tell  him  of  the  past?" 

"Certainly  not." 

Edward  felt  the  need  of  some  occupation,  and 
he  accepted  the  counsel  of  his  friend.  He  studied 
day  and  night,  for  he  could  not  join  in  any  of  the 
pleasures  of  the  city,  or  go  into  the  gay  society 
which  Tom  frequented.  He  wrote  to  Mrs.  Way- 
land,  enclosing  a  considerable  sum  of  money  ;  but 
he  forbade  her  writing  to  him,  lest  the  fact  of  a  let- 
ter to  him  from  Camden  should  connect  him  with 
the  child.  It  was  a  groundless  fear  ;  but  he  had 
now  fully  resolved  not  to  disturb  his  father's  peace 
by  acknowledging  his  own  disobedience. 

For  four  months  he  studied  so  diligently  that 
his  friend  began  to  fear  he  would  impair  his 
health.  Every  day  found  him  more  cheerful  than 
the  last ;  and  it  was  plain  enough  that  youth  and 
time  were  rapidly  conquering  his  grief.     He  began 


42  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

to  go  into  society  again,  and  the  presence  of  the 
ladies  was  not  altogether  repulsive  to  him.  In 
Jnne,  with  Tom  as'  his  companion,  he  went  home 
to  spend  the  summer. 

His  father  commented  npon  his  altered  appear- 
ance ,  but  Tom  insisted  that  it  was  because  he 
had  studied  so  hard.  He  had  not  only  read  law, 
but  had  learned  the  Spanish  language,  so  that  he 
could  converse  fluently  in  it.  The  vacation  won- 
derfully recruited  his  health,  and  in  the  autumn 
the  students  returned  to  their  southern  home. 
Edward  studied  as  diligently  as  ever.  Youth  had 
wholly  conquered  his  grief,  and  he  was  as  before. 
He  sent  money  regularly  to  Mrs.  Waylancl ;  but 
he  expressed  no  desire  to  see  his  child,  though  he 
declared  to  Tom  that  the  little  one  still  had  a 
place  in  his  heart,  and  that  he  intended  at  some 
future  time  to  acknowledge  it. 

Edward  boarded  with  his  friend's  father,  who 
had  a  daughter.  She  was  but  sixteen  when  Ed- 
ward first  became  a  member  of  the  family.  She 
was  nineteen  now,  and  the  young  northerner 
began  to  be  tenderly  impressed  towards  her, 
though  his  attentions  did  not  begin  till  his  wife 
had  been  dead  over  a  year.     The  attraction  was 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  43 

mutual,  aucl  Edward  wrote  to  his  father  about  it. 
The  old  gentleman  was  pleased,  and  facetiously 
remarked  that  he  had  all  along  supposed  there 
was  something  or  somebody  in  New  Orleans,  be- 
sides Tom  or  the  law,  that  had  drawn  him  there 
for  three  winters.  He  hadn't  the  slightest  objec- 
tion. Edward  could  noiv  please  himself  in  that 
respect,  as  in  every  other.  The  "now"  was 
heavily  underscored,  and  the  son  had  no  difficulty 
in  understanding  his  meaning.  It  was  known 
that  all  the  Medways  were  dead,  and  the  Honora- 
ble Mr.  Montague  could  no  longer  object  to  any 
match  his  heir  might  choose  to  make. 

The  marriage  was  deferred  till  the  next  year, 
when  Edward's  father  and  mother  made  a  winter 
tour  to  New  Orleans.  The  great  event  was  duly 
chronicled  in  the  newspapers,  and  the  young 
couple  made  a  bridal  tour  to  Europe,  where  they 
spent  a  year.  On  their  return  an  elegant  resi- 
dence, next  to  the  Honorable  Mr.  Montague's,  in 
one  of  the  finest  towns  on  Penobscot  Bay,  awaited 
them. 

Edward  practised  law  in  a  mild  way,  but  never 
made  any  great  figure  in  his  profession.  He  was  an 
officer  in  the  war,  has  been  to  the  state  legislature 


44  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

as  a  representative,  and  the  honors  of  a  senatorship 
are  still  before  him.  Like  the  other  distinguished 
men  we  have  introduced,  he  is  the  father  of  only 
one  child  by  his  second  marriage,  a  pretty  daugh- 
ter, who  is  the  idol  of  both  parents,  and  particu- 
larly of  the  Honorable  Mr.  Montague. 

Edward  Montague  has  all  of  this  world's  goods 
which  are  required  to  make  a  man  happy  ,  he  has 
a  beautiful  and  loving  wife,  a  beautiful  and  affec- 
tionate daughter,  a  kind  and  indulgent  father  still. 
All  the  world  regards  him  as  a  happy  man ;  but  he 
is  not  entirely  so,  for  he  cannot  be  satisfied  with 
his  past  life.  He  cannot  help  thinking  of  the  de- 
ception he  practised  upon  his  father,  and  still  fears 
that  some  unexpected  event  will  disclose  his  mis- 
conduct. His  wife  shares  his  great  secret,  for, 
before  he-  married  her,  a  sense  of  honor  compelled 
him  to  make  her  his  confidante,  which  he  did  in 
the  presence  of  her  brother,  who  vouched  for  the 
truth  of  all  he  said.  He  can  never  be  entirely  at 
peace  while  his  father  lives. 

Mrs.  Waylancl  married  again  ,  but  Edward  con- 
tinued to  send  her  at  the  rate  of  ten  dollars  a 
week  for  the  care  of  his  son,  who  still  passes  as 
her  own  child.     After  this  marriage  of  the  nurse, 


THE  WEECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  45 

the  father  of  the  boy  was  vexed  by  a  new  fear. 
He  saw  that  it  was  possible  for  her  husband  to 
probe  the  secret  through  his  letters  and  remit- 
tances ;  so  he  ceased  to  write  letters,  or  to  send 
money  by  mail  as  before.  Once  a  year,  when 
Tom  Barkesdale  came  north  to  spend  his  summer 
vacation,  he  sent  him  with  the  money  to  deliver 
into  her  own  hands. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  Edward  has  not  seen 
his  boy  since  he  parted  with  him  on  board  of 
the  steamer  at  Havana.  When  he  thinks  of  the 
little  one  he  cannot  but  reproach  himself  for  the 
past.  He  feels  that  he  has  wronged  the  boy,  and 
fears  that  his  own  emotions  might  betray  him  in 
the  presence  of  the  child.  He  is  vexed  by  a  score 
of  fears  which  he  cannot  define.  The  guide  and 
standard  of  his  life  is  honor  rather  than  religious 
principle,  which  is  the  only  safe  guide  and  stan- 
dard. His  conscience  reproaches  him  for  what  he 
has  done  and  for  what  he  has  left  undone.  He 
feels  that  he  has  dishonored  the  memory  of  his 
lost  wife,  and  that  his  conduct  is  a  continued 
wrong  to  his  child.  Like  thousands  of  others,  he 
shuns  that  which  might  lead  him  into  the  path  of 
truth  and  right.     He  pays  liberally  for  the  support 


46  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

of  his  boy,  and  tries  to  persuade  himself  that  he  is 
doing  all  that  honor  requires  of  him. 

All  this  is  but  the  introduction  to  our  story ; 
and  with  the  next  chapter  we  step  over  a  period 
of  more  than  a  dozen  years. 


THE  WEECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  47 


CHAPTER  III. 

LITTLE    BOBTAIL. 

"  W7"HAT  have  you  done  with  it;' Ro1bert?" 

f  T  demanded  Ezekiel  Taylor,  a  coarse, 
rough  man  of  forty,  who  was  partially  intoxicated 
and  very  angry.  "  You  and  your  mother' ve  hid 
that  jug  of  rum." 

Robert  looked  at  Mrs.  Taylor,  who  was  making 
bread  at  the  table,  but  he  did  not  deem  it  prudent 
to  make  any  reply.  That  jug  was  the  evil  genius 
of  the  little  household.  It  had  transformed  Eze- 
kiel Taylor  from  an  honest,  industrious,  and 
thriving  man,  into  a  mean,  lazy,  and  thrift- 
less drunkard.  It  had  brought  misery  and  conten- 
tion into  the  little  house  which  he  had  bought  and 
paid  for  before  his  marriage.  He  was  a  cooper  by 
trade,  and  had  set  up  in  business  for  himself ;  but 
his  dissolute  habit  had  robbed  him  of  his  shop,  and 
reduced  him  first  to  a  journeyman  and  then  to  a 


48  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

vagabond.  He  earned  hardly  enough  to  pay  for 
the  liquor  he  consumed ;  but,  somehow,  —  and 
how  was  the  mystery  which  perplexed  everybody 
who  knew  the  Taylors,  —  the  family  always  had 
enough  to  eat  and  good  clothes  to  wear.  Years  be- 
fore, he  had,  under  the  pretence  of  buying  a  shop  in 
which  to  set  up  in  business  again,  mortgaged  his 
house  for  five  hundred  dollars,  and  his  wife  had 
signed  away  her  right  of  dower  in  the  premises, 
without  a  suspicion  of  anything  wrong.  But  the 
money  was  quickly  squandered,  and  Squire  Gilfil- 
ian,  who  had  the  mortgage,  threatened  to  take  the 
place,  though  the  interest  was  paid  with  tolerable 
regularity  by  the  wife. 

Ezekiel  worked  a  little  when  he  was  sober ;  but 
a  day  of  industry  was  sure  to  be  followed  by  a 
spree.  He  could  procure  a  few  drinks  at  the 
saloons ;  but  as  soon  as  he  began  to  be  tipsy,  even 
the  saloon  keepers  refused  to  furnish  him  more,  for 
the  public  sentiment  of  the  place  fiercely  con- 
demned them.  The  cooper  had  worked  a  day  and 
obtained  a  jug  of  rum.  After  breakfast  he  had 
gone  into  the  village  and  drank  two  or  three  times, 
and  when  he  could  procure  no  more  liquor  there, 
he  came  home  to  continue  his  spree  on  the  stock 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  49 

he  had  before  laid  in.  The  jug  had  been  con- 
cealed in  the  wood-shed,  where  Robert  had  dis- 
covered it.  It  suggested  evil  to  himself  and  his 
mother,  abuse  and  even  personal  violence.  As  he 
afterwards  explained  it,  he  saw  a  storm  brewing, 
and,  like  a  prudent  sailor,  he  had  prepared  for  it, 
or  prepared  to  avert  it,  by  taking  the  jug  down  to 
the  steamboat  wharf  and  dropping  it  upon  the 
rocks  below,  where  the  rising  tide  soon  covered 
the  pieces,  and  for  a  time  concealed  the  evidences 
of  the  deed. 

"What  have  you  done  with  it,  you  villain?" 
repeated  the  angry  head  of  the  family,  looking 
first  at  the  boy  and  then  at  his  wife. 

"  I  haven't  seen  it,  and  didn't  know  you  had 
any  jug,"  replied  Mrs.  Taylor. 

"Don't  lie  to  me  about  it,"  stormed  Ezekiel. 
M  You  can't  fool  me.  I  left  that  jug  in  the  wood- 
shed, and  'tain't  there  now.  It  couldn't  have  gone 
off  without  any  help." 

"  I  haven't  touched  it,"  repeated  Mrs.  Taylor. 

"Yes,  you  have;  you  know  you  have,"  added 
the  tippler,  demonstrating  with  a  clinched  fist 
towards  her. 

"  I  tell  you  I  haven't  seen  it." 
4 


50  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"I  say  you  have,"  said  Ezekiel,  shaking  his  fist 
in  her  face  ;  "  you  know  you  have ;  and  if  you 
don't  tell  me  what  you've  done  with  it,  it'll  go 
hard  with  you." 

"  She  hasn't  seen  it,  and  don't  know  anything 
at  all  about  it,"  interposed  Robert,  in  order  to 
turn  the  wrath  of  the  inebriate  from  his  mother. 

"  Then  you  do,  you  villain,"  said  Ezekiel,  turn- 
ing sharply  upon  the  youth. 

The  boy  did  not  make  any  reply. 

"What  have  you  done  with  it?"  cried  the 
angry  cooper. 

"  Mother  knows  nothing  at  all  about  it ;  she 
hasn't  touched  it,  and  didn't  know  there  was  any 
jug  there." 

Mrs.  Taylor  suspended  work  and  looked  ear- 
nestly at  the  boy.  She  understood  by  his  manner 
that  he  had  removed  the  jug,  and  she  dreaded  the 
consequences  of  her  husband's  wrath.  Ezekiel' 
continued  to  repeat  his  question  in  his  drunken 
frenzy,  and  to  demonstrate  violently  with  his  fist 
at  the  youth.  He  turned  again  upon  his  wife,  and 
accused  her  of  being  a  party  to  the  removal  of  the 
jug;  but  Robert's  only  object  seemed  to  be  to 
shield  her  from  his  wrath. 


THE   WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  51 

"  I  tell  you  again  she  don't  know  anything  at  all 
about  it,"  said  he,  at  last.  "  I  did  the  business 
myself;  and  that  jug  has  gone  up.  It  won't  hold 
any  more  rum." 

"What  did  you  do  with  it,  you  villain?" 
gasped  Ezekiel. 

"  I  dropped  it  off  the  railroad  wharf  upon  the 
rocks ;  and  there  isn't  a  piece  left  of  it  big  enough 
to  stop  a  mouse  hole." 

44  You  did  —  did  you  ?  ' ' 

"  I  did,"  added  Robert,  desperately,  as  he  braced 
himself  to  brave  the  consequences  of  his  bold 
deed. 

"  What  business  had  you  to  meddle  with  my 
property?"    demanded  Ezekiel,  furiously. 

"  It  was  a  kind  of  property  that  don't  make  any 
man  the  richer,"  replied  the  youth. 

44  Who  told  you  to  do  it  ?  "  asked  the  inebriate, 
glancing  at  his  wife. 

44  No  one  told  me,  and  no  one  knew  anything 
about  it." 

44  Then  I'll  teach  you  to  steal  my  property ! 
I'll  take  it  out  of  your  hide,  you  rascal." 

44  There  isn't  any  of  it  in  my  hide,  and  I  don't 
mean  there  ever  shall  be." 


52  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

Ezekiel  took  down  a  clothes-stick  which  was 
hanging  against  the  wall,  and  with  it  he  made  a 
dive  and  a  plunge  at  Robert.  The  boy  was  too 
active  to  be  caught  by  a  man  whose  footing  was 
none  too  steady.  He  easily  dodged  the  blows 
which  were  aimed  at  him,  till  the  tippler,  out  of 
breath  from  his  exertions,  placed  himself  before  the 
door  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  culprit,  and  there 
rested  himself  from  the  fatigue  of  the  onslaught. 

"Don't  you  strike  that  boy,"  said  Mrs.  Taylor, 
warmly ;  and  she  had  before  essayed  to  suspend 
the  strife. 

"Yes  I  will!  I'll  flog  him  within  an  inch  of 
his  life.  I'll  teach  him  to  meddle  with  my  prop- 
erty," gasped  Ezekiel. 

"  If  you  do,  I'll  leave  this  house,  and  never 
come  into  it  again.  I  won't  have  no  such  goings 
on  where  I  am,"  said  the  woman,  warmly  and 
energetically. 

"That's  right,  mother;  you  leave,"  added 
Robert,  who  had  remained  in  the  room  only  to 
turn  the  wrath  of  the  husband  from  her  to  him- 
self. 

"  He  shan't  hurt  you,  Robert.  I'll  stand  up  for 
you   to   the    end,"    added  Mrs.   Taylor,   as    she 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  53 

passed  into  her  chamber,  which  was  next  to  the 
"living-room." 

"  I  don't  care  who  goes,  nor  who  stays.  I  ain't 
a  going  to  have  any  snch  works  as  this,"  continued 
Ezekiel,  as  he  gathered  himself  up  for  another 
attack.  "  I  ain't  a  going  to  have  my  property, 
that  cost  money,  destroyed,  and  you  won't  want 
to  do  such  a  thing  again,  I  can  tell  you." 

The  angry  man  rushed  towards  Robert,  who 
stood  near  the  door  which  opened  into  the  front 
entry ;  but  he  knew-  that  it  was  locked,  and  so  he 
did  not  attempt  to  escape  in  that  direction.  Being 
in  the  corner,  his  furious  assailant  attempted  to 
pin  him  there  ;  but  Robert,  by  a  flank  movement, 
reached  the  door  which  led  to  the  wood-shed,  and 
passed  out.  He  was  closely  pursued  by  Ezekiel ; 
but  the  tipsy  man  might  as  well  have  attempted  to 
catch  a  wild  antelope.  The  boy  dodged  around  the 
wood-shed  and  other  buildings  till  he  had  thrown 
his  pursuer  off  the  track;  then  he  went  to  the 
back  window  of  his  mother's  chamber  to  assure 
himself  that  she  was  still  safe.  She  was  putting 
on  her  bonnet  and  shawl,  with  the  evident  inten- 
tion of  leaving  the  house. 

"Did    he    strike    you,    Robert?"    she    asked, 


54  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

through  the  open  window,  with  more  of  indigna- 
tion than  terror  in  her  manner. 

"  Not  he,"  replied  Robert.  "  I  can  keep  out  of 
his  way  easy  enough." 

"Don't  go  near  him  again  —  that's  a  good  boy. 
There's  no  knowing  what  he  may  do.  He's  as 
ugly  as  sin  when  he  has  had  two  or  three  glasses 
and  wants  more." 

"But  where  are  you  going,  mother?"  asked 
the  boy. 

"I  don't  know  where  to  go  yet;  but  I'm  not 
going  to  stay  here  to-day.  I  can't  bear  it  any 
longer.  You  will  keep  out  of  his  way  —  won't 
you,  Robert?" 

"  I'm  not  -afraid  of  him ;  but  I'm  going  out  a 
fishing  as  soon  as  the  tide  makes  enough  to  get  the 
boat  off." 

"  Well,  I'll  go  up  and  spend  the  day  with  Mrs. 
Paine,"  added  Mrs.  Taylor.  "  I  hope  your  father 
will  get  over  it  before  night." 

"I've  got  about  enough  of  this,  mother ;  and 
if  it  wasn't  for  you,  I'd  clear  out  this  very  day." 

"  Don't  leave  me  yet,  Robert,"  pleaded  the  poor 
woman.  "  I  mean  to  leave  him  myself  if  he  don't 
behave  better.     He  shan't  abuse  you." 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  55 

"  I  don't  mean  he  shall.  Bnt  I  think  I  can  take 
care  of  myself  better  than  you  can  of  yourself." 

Mrs.  Taylor  did  not  think  so  ;  but  she  did  not 
dispute  the  point.  The  approach  of  Ezekiel  caused 
the  youth  to  beat  another  retreat ;  but,  from  the 
other  side  of  the  street,  he  saw  his  mother  leave 
the  house  and  walk  towards  the  village.  Satisfied 
that  she  was  safe  from  the  wrath  of  her  brutal 
husband,  he  soon  followed  her,  though  he  did  not 
overtake  her,  for  his  course,  after  a  short  distance, 
led  him  in  another  direction. 

"  I'm  glad  that  man  is  not  my  father,"  muttered 
Robert  to  himself,  as  he  walked  towards  the 
village. 

A  knowledge  of  this  fact  had  come  to  him  only 
a  few  days  before,  and  it  was  a  great  relief  to  him, 
for  certainly  there  was  no  meaner  man  in  Camden 
than  Ezekiel  Taylor.  He  was  sorry  that  he  had 
ever  been  permitted  even  to  bear  his  name.  He 
was  sixteen  years  old,  though,  for  his  age,  he  was 
rather  short.  But  he  was  a  stout,  wiry,  athletic 
little  fellow.  He  was  just  as  much  puzzled  as  the 
rest  of  the  town's  people  to  know  how  his  mother 
contrived  to  feed  and  clothe  herself  and  him, 
when  it  was  patent  to  everybody  that  her  husband 


56  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

spent  all  that  lie  earned  for  rum.  She  always  had 
money  enough  to  buy  a  beefsteak  and  to  pay  her 
store  bill.  When  everything  seemed  to  have 
"  gone  to  the  dogs,"  and  Ms  last  suit  of  clothes 
was  out  at  the  elbows,  she  astonished  him  by 
getting  a  new  suit.  The  coat  had  very  brief 
skirts,  after  the  fashion  then  prevailing.  On  his 
short,  stubbed  form,  it  gave  him  a  peculiar  ap- 
pearance, which  promptly  attracted  the  attention 
of  his  companions,  when  he  went  to  church  and 
Sunday  school,  after  a  long  absence  caused  by  the 
want  of  suitable  clothing.  The  boys  called  him 
"  Bob  Taylor ;  "  but  when  this  coat  appeared,  they 
cut  off  one  syllable,  and  made  his  cognomen 
"  Bobtail,"  which  soon  became  "  Little  Bobtail," 
for  he  was  often  called  little  Bob  Taylor  before, 
by  the  larger  boys.  . 

Robert  was  disposed  to  resent  all  these  liberties 
with  his  name ;  but  as  Squire  Gilfilian,  the  hotel 
keeper,  and  the  deputy  collector  of  the  port, 
good-naturedly  adopted  the  fashion  of  the  young- 
sters, he  was  compelled  to  acquiesce.  After  all, 
there  was  not  much  difference  between  Little  Bob- 
tail and  little  Bob  Taylor,  certainly  not  enough  to 
quarrel  about. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  57 

Robert  went  to  the  post-office,  not  because  he 
expected  any  letters,  —  for  he  had  no  correspond- 
ence,—  but  because  a  great  many  people  went 
there  when  the  mail  arrived.  He  was  always 
ready  to  make  a  quarter  when  an  opportunity 
presented.  He  spent  half  his  time  on  the  water 
in  the  summer,  and  knew  all  about  a  boat.  Some- 
times the  strangers  at  the  hotel  wanted  him  to  go 
out  with  them,  and  indicate  the  best  places  to 
catch  cod,  haddock,  and  mackerel,  and  sometimes 
there  was  an  errand  to  be  done. 

"  Little  Bobtail ! "  shouted  the  post-master 
through  his  window,  as  Robert  entered  the 
office. 

He  went  up  to  the  window,  and  asked  what  was 
wanted. 

"  Here  is  a  letter  for  Squire  Gilfilian,  who  was 
in  a  desperate  hurry  to  get  it,  if  one  came,"  added 
the  post-master.  "  Will  you  carry  it  •up  to  his 
office  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Little  Bobtail,  promptly. 

"  Here  is  another  for  Captain  Chinks.  I  think 
he  is  at  the  squire's  office,  for  they  just  went  up 
the  street  together.  You  may  as  well  take  it 
along." 


58  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

Robert  took  the  two  letters,  and  hastened  to 
the  squire's  office.  As  he  entered,  Captain  Chinks 
came  out  of  the  rear  apartment,  where  the  lawyer 
held  his  private  conferences  with  his  clients. 

"  Here's  a  letter  for  you,  sir,"  said  Robert,  as 
he  handed  one  of  them  to  the  captain,  who  imme- 
diately tore  it  open. 

"  Thank  you,  Little  Bobtail,"  said  Captain 
Chinks,  taking  a  quarter  in  scrip  from  his  vest 
pocket,  and  giving  it  to  him. 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Captain 
Chinks,"  replied  Robert,  glad  to  earn  a  quarter  so 
easily.     "  Is  Squire  Gilfilian  in  that  room  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;   but  he's  busy." 

"  I  have  a  letter  for  him." 

"Put  it  on  the  table,  and  he  will  find  it  when 
he  comes  out ;  on  his  writing  desk  there." 

Little  Bobtail  tossed  the  letter  on  the  desk,  *and 
left  the  office,  thinking  only  of  the  quarter  he  had 
just  made,  and  how  he  should  invest  it  to  the  best 
advantage  in  provisioning  the  old  boat  with  which 
he  intended  to  go  a  fishing  that  day.  A  sheet  of 
gingerbread  and  a  "hunk  of  cheese,"  as  he  ex- 
pressed it,  seemed  to  suit  the  emergencies  of  the 
occasion;   and  after  purchasing  these  articles,  he 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  59 

walked  down  the  road  leading  to  the  Portland 
steamboat  wharf.  He  had  gone  but  a  short  dis- 
tance before  he  overtook  Captain  Chinks,  who  was 
reading  the  letter  he  just  received  as  he  walked 
along  the  plank  sidewalk. 

Captain  Chinks,  who  was,  possibly,  a  distant 
relative  of  him  of  the  horse-marines,  though  his 
name  had  become  corrupted,  was  a  man  of  doubtful 
reputation.  The  officials  of  the  custom-house  kept 
a  sharp  eye  upon  him,  and  endeavored  to  connect 
him  with  certain  irregular  transactions,  whereby 
sundry  cases  of  brandy  and  sundry  boxes  of  cigars 
had  come  into  Camden  without  paying  tribute  to 
the  majesty  of  the  custom-house.  The  goods  were 
seized,  and  duly  confiscated ;  but  there  was  a  link 
wanting  in  the  chain  of  testimony  which  connected 
Captain  Chinks  with  the  affair.  Robert  supposed 
he  had  been  consulting  Squire  Gilfilian  about  the 
matter ;  and  the  youth  judged  from  the  angry  look 
of  the  captain  that  the  lawyer  had  not  been  able 
to  afford  him  any  satisfaction. 

Captain  Chinks  read  his  letter,  and  made  his 
way  down  to  the  steamboat  wharf.  As  Bobtail 
ran  his  old  boat  by  the  end  of  the  pier,  he  saw  the 
man  of  doubtful  reputation  go  on  board  of  the 


60  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

steamer,  and  noticed  him  on  her  deck  when  she 
started. 

That  afternoon  .Robert  sold  a  good  mess  of  fish 
at  the  market,  and  went  home  to  the  cottage, 
which  was  on  the  road  leading  to  the  steamboat 
wharf.  Ezekiel  was  not  there,  bnt  his  mother  was. 
As  the  tippler  could  not  obtain  the  liquor  for  a 
spree,  he  had  become  sober.  He  went  to  work 
the  next  day,  and  a  temporary  peace  was  patched 
up.  He  offered  no  violence  to  the  boy  while  he 
was  sober,  but  this  was  only  for  a  brief  period. 
In  a  few  days  he  obtained  another  jug  of  rum,  and 
Robert  and  his  mother  were  obliged  to  abandon 
the  house  to  him. 

On  this  afternoon  Robert  went  to  the  post-office 
as  usual.  He  had  not  been  on  the  water  since  the 
day  he  had  carried  the  letters  to  Squire  Gilfilian's 
office,  for  the  reason  that  he  could  not  obtain  a 
boat,  for  he  was  not  the  owner  of  the  old  craft  in 
which  he  generally  sailed.  She  belonged  to  a  boat- 
man by  the  name  of  Prince,  who  managed  a  larger 
Newport  boat,  in  which  he  conveyed  passengers 
from  the  hotel,  and  others,  upon  excursions  on  the 
bay.  Anybody  who  wanted  the  old  boat  took  her, 
without  the  formality  of  asking  the  owner's  leave, 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  61 

though  Robert,  being  a  boy,  was  not  quite  so 
independent  as  others ;  but  Prince  was  a  good 
fellow,  and  allowed  him  to  use  her  whenever  she 
was  not  taken  by  somebody  else.  But  Robert  had 
borrowed  her  for  the  day,  and  secured  her  near  the 
cottage  the  night  before,  so  that  she  could  not  be 
used  till  the  tide  served. 

"  Little  Bobtail !  "   shouted  the  post-master. 

"What,  sir?" 

"  Didn't  I  give  you  a  letter  for  Squire  Gilfilian, 
about  a  week  ago  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  you  did." 

"  What  did  you  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Laid  it  on  the  desk  in  his  office,"  replied 
Robert,  wondering  what  all  these  questions  could 
mean. 

"  He  never  got  it." 

"Didn't  he?  Well,  I  put  it  on  his  desk," 
added  the  boy,  startled  and  annoyed  at  the 
situation. 

Just  then  the  squire  himself  entered  the  office, 
and  confirmed  the  statement  of  the  post-master. 
The  lawyer  questioned  Little  Bobtail  sharply,  per- 
haps rather  from  his  professional  habit  than  because 
he  suspected  the  youth  of  anything  wrong. 


62  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

"  I  put  it  on  your  desk,  sir ;  and  that  is  all  I 
know  about  it.  Captain  Chinks  was  in  your 
office  at  the  time,  and  he  told  me  to  put  it  on  the 
desk,"  said  Robert,  stoutly. 

"  Now  I  remember,  I  gave  Bobtail  a  letter  for 
Captain  Chinks  at  the  same  time,"  added  the 
post-master. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  I  gave  it  to  him  in  the  squire's 
office." 

"  Well,  we  will  look  the  matter  up  when  Cap- 
tain Chinks  comes  back.  He  has  been  away  a 
week  now,"  added  the  lawyer. 

Robert  was  vexed.  He  was  not  directly  accused 
of  stealing  the  letter,  but  he  did  not  like  the  sharp 
questions  which  the  squire  asked  him.  He  left 
the  office,  and,  after  buying  a  sheet  of  gingerbread 
and  some  cheese,  he  hastened  down  to  the  old 
boat,  which  was  now  afloat.  He  had  put  a  bucket 
of  clams  into  her  the  night  before,  for  bait,  and 
otherwise  prepared  the  boat  for  a  cruise.  The 
wind  was  pretty  fresh  from  the  westward,  and  he 
went  off  wing-and-wing  before  it.  He  tried  the 
usual  places,  but  the  fish  did  not  bite,  and  he 
kept  sailing  farther  and  farther  out  from  the  shore  ; 
but  he  caught  hardly  any  fish.     He   was   in  no 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  63 

hurry  to  go  home,  for  Ezekiel  was  in  his  tantrums, 
and  his  mother  had  gone  to  Rockport  to  spend  two 
or  three  days.  The  wind,  instead  of  subsiding  as 
the  day  advanced,  increased  in  force.  The  sea 
was  heavy  out  in  the  bay,  and  it  was  utterly  im- 
possible to  beat  the  old  boat  up  to  windward,  for 
she  made  more  leeway  than  headway. 

"  No  matter;  I'll  make  a  night  of.it,"  said  he 
to  himself,  when  he  realized  that  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  beat  back  to  Camden. 

The  bay  is  full  of  islands,  and  Little  Bobtail  con- 
cluded to  get  under  the  lee  of  one  of  them,  and 
wait  for  better  weather.  He  took  in  his  jib  and 
mainsail,  and  the  old  boat  went  along  very  well, 
taking  in  very  little  water.  The  sun  went  down, 
and  it  was  dark  before  he  had  made  a  harbor.  He 
was  approaching  Blank  Island,  where  •he  knew  a 
good  place  to  anchor  for  the  night,  when  he  dis- 
covered a  large  sail-boat,  drifting  down  the  bay. 
Her  sails  were  all  lowered,  but  had  not  been  se- 
cured, and  were  flapping  about  in  the  wind. 

"  Boat,  ahoy !  "  shouted  Little  Bobtail. 

No  answer  came  to  his  repeated  hails ;  and, 
throwing  the  old  craft  up  into  the  wind,  he  awaited 
the  approach  of  the  abandoned  boat.    Placing  him- 


64  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

self  in  the  bow,  with  the  painter  in  his  hand,  he 
leaped  on  board  of  the  stranger,  as  she  drifted 
upon  his  old  craft.  The  abandoned  boat  was 
worthy  to  be  called  a  yacht.  She  was  about  thirty- 
two  feet  in  length,  with  eleven  feet  beam.  Two 
thirds  of  her  length  was  decked  over,  with  a  trunk 
cabin,  in  which  were  transoms  large  enough  for 
four  berths,  with  a  cook-room  forward.  She  was 
handsomely  fitted  up,  and  Little  Bobtail  wondered 
how  she  happened  to  be  adrift.  He  hoisted  the 
mainsail,  and  in  a  few  moments  ran  her  into  a 
little  bay  under  the  lee  of  Blank  Island,  where  he 
anchored  her.  As  she  had  an  anchor  it  was 
evident  that  she  had  not  broken  away  from  her 
anchorage.  Having  secured  the  old  boat  at  a  safe 
distance  from  the  yacht,  the  young  boatman  had 
an  opportunity  to  examine  his  prize,  for  such  it 
proved  to  be. 


THE  WEECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  65 


CHAPTER    IV. 


THE  JANTY  YACHT. 


IT  was  very  dark,  and  Little  Bobtail  was  unable 
to  obtain  a  very  clear  idea  of  the  craft  he  had 
picked  up  ;  but  he  had  brought  her  to  a  secure 
anchorage  under  the  lee  of  Blank  Island,  and, 
quite  exhausted  with  his  energetic  efforts,  both  in 
boarding  the  yacht  and  in  mooring  the  boats,  he 
was  content  to  rest  himself  for  a  while  on  the 
cushioned  seats  of  the  standing-room.  The  fresh 
wind  which  had  blown  all  day  had  not  permitted 
him  to  pay  much  attention  to  the  dietary  depart- 
ment, which  is  always  an  important  one  in  a  boat ; 
and,  not  being  over  sentimental,  he  was  positively 
hungry.  Even  the  half  of  his  sheet  of  gingerbread 
and  his  "  hunk  of  cheese  "  remained  untouched. 

Little   Bobtail   was    an    ingenious   youth,   and 
when  he  anchored  the  old  boat  he  had  taken  a 
line  from  her  stern  to  the  yacht,  so  that  he  could 
5 


66  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

haul  the  former  alongside  the  latter  at  his  pleas- 
ure. By  this  means  he  was  enabled  to  recover  his 
provision  box  and  jug  of  cold  water  without  any 
difficulty.  He  devoured  the  balance  of  what  had 
been  intended  only  for  his  dinner,  which,  expand- 
ed into  both  dinner  and  supper,  did  not  half  cover 
the  needs  of  the  occasion.  He  was  still  hungry, 
but  he  had  recovered  his  breath,  and  was  in  con- 
dition to  make  another  effort,  if  another  were  re- 
quired of  him. 

We  confess  that  we  have  written  very  coolly 
and  composedly  of  the  event  in  Little  Bobtail's 
experience  which  had  just  transpired,  hardly  at- 
tempting to  describe  his  wonder  and  exhilaration ; 
but  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  he  was  unmoved 
by  the  discovery  and  recovery  of  the  abandoned 
yacht.  He  was  so  tremendously  excited,  that  he 
had  worked  all  the  breath  out  of  his  body,  and 
had  hardly  an  opportunity  to  consider  the  nature 
and  extent  of  his  achievement  till  he  had  regained 
his  wind,  and  partially  filled  the  vacuum  in  his 
stomach,  which  prudent  Nature  abhors. 

"We  said  he  was  ready  for  another  effort ;  but 
before  he  put  forth  his  strength  again,  he  indulged 
in  a  series  of  speculations  in  regard  to  the  immedi- 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  67 

ate  history  of  the  yacht  he  had  picked  up  under 
such  singular  circumstances.  He  had  not  been 
into  the  cabin  yet  to  obtain  whatever  evidence 
might  be  available  in  solving  the  problem ;  he  had 
not  yet  had  time  to  do  so.  But  people  speculate 
and  construct  theories  even  before  there  are  any 
premises  on  which  to  base  them. 

The  yacht  was  fine  enough  to  be  a  pleasure 
craft,  and  he  leaped  at  once  to  the  conclusion  that 
some  gay  party  had  landed  on  an  island  to  have 
a  good  time,  and,  having  run  the  yacht  aground, 
the  fresh  breeze  had  blown  her  off  as  the  tide  rose. 
Entirely  satisfied  with  this  solution,  the  history 
of  the  fair  craft  seemed  to  be  no  longer  a  mystery 
to  him.  In  the  morning  he  would  run  her  over 
to  Camden  and  anchor  there.  The  owner  would 
soon  appear;  and,  as  he  was  fairly  entitled  to 
salvage,  he  thought  he  could  reasonably  hope  to 
receive  as  much  as  ten  dollars  for  his  services,  for 
the  yacht  might  have  been  thrown  upon  the  rocks 
and  utterly  smashed,  if  he  had  not  picked  her  up. 
Indeed,  she  was  not  three  miles  from  Deer  Island 
when  he  discovered  her,  and  in  an  hour  or  two 
more  nothing  could  have  saved  her  from  destruc- 
tion. 


68  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB, 

To  Little  Bobtail  ten  dollars  was  a  vast  sum  of 
money,  and  the  very  first  thought  of  obtaining  it 
suggested,  as  the  next  one,  the  use  to  which  it 
should  be  applied.  That  old  tub  of  a  boat  in 
which  he  had  been  sailing  all  day  could  be  bought 
for  thirty  dollars.  It  is  true  she  was  not  much  of 
a  boat ;  but  it  would  afford  Little  Bobtail  almost 
as  much  pleasure  to  repair  her  and  put  a  proper 
keel  upon  her,  so  that  he  could  beat  to  windward 
in  her,  as  it  would  to  sail  her.  Prince,  who 
owned  her,  would  take  ten  dollars  as  the  first 
payment,  and  in  time  he  could  earn  enough  with 
her  to  pay  the  other  twenty.  Altogether  the 
dream  was  a  brilliant  one  to  him,  and  as  he  gazed 
through  the  gloom  of  the  night  at  the  old  tub, 
his  fancy  kindled  with  the  glowing  future.  He 
wished  the  old  thing  was  bigger,  so  that  he  could 
have  a  cabin  and  a  place  to  sleep  in  her,  when 
the  drunken  fury  of  Ezekiel  drove  him  from  the 
cottage. 

Now,  really,  our  hero  did  not  think  half  so 
much  of  the  janty  yacht  he  had  captured  as  he 
did  of  the  old  tub,  and  we  do  not  know  that  he 
would  have  taken  the  trouble  to  enter  her  cabin 
before  he  wanted  a  place  to  sleep,  if  he  had  not 


THE  WBECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  69 

been  hungry.  Half  a  sheet  of  gingerbread  and 
"half  a  hunk  of  cheese"  for  supper  were  alto- 
gether insufficient  for  a  growing  boy.  If  the  party 
which  had  lost  the  yacht  had  been  on  a  pleasure 
excursion,  of  course  they  had  brought  provisions 
with  them  ;  for,  to  the  imagination  of  a  boy  of 
sixteen,  eating  is  one  of  the  chief  pleasures  of 
existence,  especially  on  the  salt  water.  If  the 
excursionists  had  gone  on  shore,  —  as  they  must 
have  done,  since  they  were  not  on  board,  — prob- 
ably they  had  taken  their  provisions  with  them. 
It  was  a  startling  thought ;  but  then  perhaps  the 
yacht  had  broken  adrift  before  they  were  removed 
from  the  lockers.  The  alternative  was  very 
pleasant  to  Little  Bobtail,  though  it  suggested 
the  miserable  condition  of  the  excursionists  left 
on  the  island,  perhaps  to  pass  the  night  there, 
without  food.  Our  hero  thought  they  could  stand 
it  better  without  any  supper  than  he  could,  for 
he  had  had  only  half  a  dinner,  and  besides,  every- 
body thinks  his  own  misfortunes  are  infinitely 
more  trying  than  those  of  other  people.  But  we 
must  do  our  young  skipper  the  justice  to  add  that 
he  sympathized  with  the  excursionists  in  case  they 
had  no  supper. 


70  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

The  doors  of  the  cabin  were  closed,  but  they 
were  not  locked.  Little  Bobtail  threw  them  open, 
and  gazed  down  into  the  darkness.  He  could  not 
see  anything  but  the  faint  light  through  the  round 
ports  in  the  trunk.  He  descended  the  steps,  and 
then  stumbled  against  some  boxes.  Feeling  his 
way  overhead,  he  placed  his  hand  upon  a  lantern 
suspended  -  from  above. 

"  All  right !  "  exclaimed  he.  "  That  lantern 
is  the  right  thing  in  the  right  place.  We  will 
have   some  light  on  the  subject." 

He  was  an  early  riser,  and  made  the  fire  in  the 
cook-stove  every  morning  at  home,  which  may 
account  for  the  fact  that  he  had  a  quantity  of 
matches  in  his  pocket.  He  always  carried  them 
with  him,  for  he  had  been  blown  off  once  before, 
when  he  had  a  boat  full  of  fish,  and  had  to  go 
hungry  all  night  because  he  could  not  make  a 
fire  to  cook  one  or  two  of  them.  Besides,  when 
he  sailed  with  strangers  or  with  town's  people, 
most  of  them  smoked,  and  he  often  found  that 
a  match  was  the  one  thing  needed  in  a  boat.  On 
account  of  this  wise  forecast  and  this  prudent 
habit,  Little  Bobtail  had  plenty  of  matches  in  his 
pocket ;    and  having  them,  he  lighted  one,  and 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE   PENOBSCOT.  71 

communicated  the  flame  to  the  lamp  in  the 
lantern. 

Excitedly  he  waited  the  revelations  which  the 
lamp  was  to  make  to  him.  It  was  a  beautiful 
cabin.  The  transoms  were  all  cushioned,  and 
there  was  a  table  between  them.  Forward  was 
the  door  which  opened  into  the  cook-room.  Over 
the  table  was  a  rack  for  bottles  and  glasses,  and 
there  was  a  score  of  lockers  filled  with  dishes  and 
other  table  ware,  with  charts,  books,  compasses, 
and  other  nautical  necessaries.  A  handsome  spy- 
glass hung  on  a  pair  of  brackets.  At  the  end  of 
the  transoms  were  several  cushions,  used  as  pil- 
lows, and  some  robes  to  cover  the  sleepers. 

After  this  general  survey  of  the  interior  of  the 
cabin,  Little  Bobtail  turned  his  attention  to  the 
boxes  upon  which  he  had  stumbled.  All  the 
cabin  floor,  except  a  small  portion  aft,  was  covered 
with  these  boxes,  of  which  he  counted  twenty. 
The  theory  he  had  adopted  that  the  yacht  had 
been  used  for  a  pleasure  excursion,  crumbled 
away  as  he  saw  these  boxes,  for  no  party  would 
go  out  sailing  with  the  cabin  lumbered  up  in  this 
manner.  He  overhauled  one  of  the  boxes,  with- 
out being  any  the  wiser,  and  Little  Bobtail  was 


72  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

sorely  puzzled.  Taking  the  lantern  in  his  hand, 
he  crawled  over  the  boxes  to  the  cook-room.  It 
was  very  small,  but  it  was  admirably  fitted  up, 
with  a  tiny  stove  and  plenty  of  lockers.  In  one 
corner  hung  a  leg  of  bacon,  from  which  a  few 
slices  had  been  cut  at  some  recent  period. 

"  That  suits  my  case  exactly,"  said  the  ex- 
plorer, as  he  took  down  the  bacon.  "  I  shall  treat 
myself  to  a  slice  of  fried  ham  before  I  bother 
my  head  any  more  about  this  craft  or  any  other.' ' 

In  a  locker  on  which  the  cook  sat  while  en- 
gaged in  his  duties  was  a  supply  of  wood  ;  and  in 
five  minutes  Little  Bobtail  had  a  good  fire  in  the 
stove.  A  frying-pan  lay  by  the  side  of  the  locker. 
Indeed,  our  hero  could  want  nothing  which  he  did 
not  immediately  find  ready  for  use,  just  as  though 
a  multitude  of  fairies  stood  at  his  elbows  to  meet 
his  every  wish.  In  another  locker  he  found  a  kid 
of  cold  potatoes,  and  there  was  an  abundance  of 
hard-tack  in  a  keg  on  the  transom.  The  slice  of 
bacon  hissed  and  sizzled  in  the  pan  on  the  stove, 
and  the  odor  was  delightful  to  the  hungry  boy. 
It  was  soon  "  done  to  a  turn,"  and  the  fried  pota- 
toes were  as  brown  and  nice  as  those  prepared  by 
his  mother.     He  might  have  had  tea  or  coffee,  but 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  73 

he  did  not  care  for  them.  At  his  age  they  are  not 
reckoned  among  the  substantials  for  a  good  meal. 
Procuring  a  plate,  knife,  and  fork  from  the  cabin, 
he  helped  himself  from  the  pan  on  the  stove. 

"  That's  what  I  call  first  rate  !  "  exclaimed  he, 
when  he  had  duly  tested  the  bacon  and  the  pota- 
toes.     "I  shall  be  ready  to  hire  out  as  a  cook    * 
after  this.     That's  tip-top   bacon,  and   I   respect 
the  pig  that  left  this  leg  I  see  to  me." 

Little  Bobtail  glanced  up  at  the  leg  of  bacon 
in  the  corner,  and  thought  he  had  made  a  good 
pun ;  but  it  was  fearfully  old  and  stale  to  be 
printed  in  a  book,  and  we  do  so  only  out  of  defer- 
ence to  his  feelings.  No  right-minded  and  highly 
moral  person  will  make  puns  ;  and  our  hero  is  only 
excusable  on  the  ground  that  he  was  alone,  and 
did  not  force  it  upon  other  people.  He  ate  all  he 
wanted  ;  nay,  more  —  all  he  could.  He  devoured 
the  entire  slice  he  had  cooked,  leaving  none  for 
a  lunch,  in  case  he  wanted  one,  when  he  had  not 
time  to  cook.  He  was  entirely  satisfied,  and  that 
is  saying  a  great  deal  of  a  boy  of  sixteen,  grow- 
ing, and  sailing  on  the  salt  water,  too.  He  could 
not  eat  any  more,  or  he  would;  and,  being  too 
full  for  utterance,  he  made  no  more  speeches  to 


74  'LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

himself.  Doubtless  he  had  endangered  the  peace 
of  his  dreams  by  overloading  his  stomach  at  that 
hour  in  the  evening,  for  by  this  time  it  was  ten 
o'clock;  but  it  so  happened  that  he  had  time  to 
digest  his  supper  before  he  put  himself  in  the 
way  of  dreaming. 

Having  satisfied  his  hunger,  he  felt  entirely 
satisfied  with  himself,  and  especially  with  the 
person  or  persons  who  had  fitted  out  the  yacht  in 
the  commissary  department.  Taking  his  lantern, 
he  crawled  over  the  boxes  to  the  after  part  of  the 
cabin,  where  there  was  space  enough  for  him  to 
sit  comfortably.  He  looked  at  the  boxes,  and 
wondered  what  was  in  them.  We  do  not  know 
that  he  had  more  curiosity  than  boys  in  general ; 
but  he  felt  that  a  knowledge  of  their  contents 
might  enable  him  to  establish  another  theory  in 
regard  to  the  previous  history  of  the  yacht.  He 
had  seen  a  shingling  hatchet  in  the  cook-room, 
used  for  splitting  up  the  kindling  wood.  He 
went  for  it,  and,  with  no  great  difficulty,  opened 
one  of  the  boxes.  It  was  filled  with  bottles, 
packed  in  straw,  and  each  one  enclosed  in  a  curi- 
ous case  made  of  the  same  material.  He  slipped 
one  of  the  bottles  out  of  its  casing.     It  was  la- 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  75 

belled  "  James  Hennessy  &  Co.  —  Cognac." 
The  name  of  the  firm,  so  well  known  to  old  topers 
and  moderate  drinkers,  afforded  him  no  light ;  but 
he  knew  that  "  Cognac  "  meant  brandy. 

"  Oho  !  aha  !  "  said  Little  Bobtail,  knowingly; 
"  I  smell  a  mice  now.  This  boat  wasn't  used  for 
a  pleasure  party." 

He  had  heard  about  those  mysterious  custom- 
house inspectors  and  detectives,  who  poke  their 
noses  into  grocery  stores,  cellars,  and  all  the  sly 
places  where  contraband  goods  were  supposed  to 
be  concealed.  Promptly  he  arrived  at  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  brandy  in  the  yacht  had  come  "  thus 
far  into  the  bowels  of  the  land  "  without  paying  its 
respects  to  the  custom-house,  or  any  of  the  heavy 
duties  which  go  to  support  the  army  and  navy, 
and  a  host  of  beneficent  institutions  which  make 
our  country  "  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home 
of  the  brave,"  and  the  collection  of  which  affords 
a  multitude  of  officials  an  opportunity  to  steal. 
But  Little  Bobtail  did  not  trouble  himself  to  dis- 
cuss any  of  the  vexed  questions  about  free  trade 
and  tariff,  or  even  to  weigh  carefully  the  immoral- 
ity of  smuggling. 

Our  hero  did  not  believe  in  brandy,  abstractly 


76  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

or  concretely.  It  was  liquor,  and  liquor  had  been 
a  curse  to  his  home,  a  curse  to  his  mother,  and  a 
curse  to  himself ;  and  he  was  tempted  to  take  the 
boxes  on  deck,  open  them,  and  spill  the  contents 
of  the  bottles  into  the  sea.  Possibly  —  not  proba- 
bly —  he  would  have  done  so,  if  he  had  not  been 
afraid  the  liquor  would  destroy  the  fish,  or  drive 
them  away  to  prohibition  waters.  The  problem 
of  the  yacht  had  become  intricate,  and  he  was 
puzzled  to  determine  what  to  do  with  her.  If  he 
had  been  properly  instructed  in  regard  to  the 
duty  of  the  citizens  to  his  government,  and  prop- 
erly inspired  to  discharge  this  duty,  he  would 
have  sailed  the  yacht  and  her  cargo  over  to  Cam- 
den, and  delivered  her  to  the  deputy  collector  in 
charge  of  the  port.  He  knew  what  smuggling 
meant ;  but  his  views  were  very  indefinite.  Ac- 
cording to  the  fishermen,  and  most  of  the  traders, 
to  whose  conversation  on  this  subject  he  had  lis- 
tened, smuggling  was  hardly  to  be  regarded  as  a 
sin,  or,  if  a  sin,  it  was  one  of  the  most  trivial 
character. 

It  is  a  melancholy  truth,  becoming  more  and 
more  familiar  to  us  every  year,  that  cheating  the 
government  is  hardly  considered  a  crime  ;  that  re- 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  77 

spectable  men,  as  the  world  measures  them,  and 
even  members  of  the  church,  defraud  the  revenues 
of  the  government  without  compunction. 

We  are  sorry  to  acknowledge  that  Little  Bobtail 
did  not  think  of  such  a  thing  as  handing  over  the 
yacht  and  her  contraband  cargo — as  he  was  fully 
satisfied  it  was  —  to  the  custom-house  officials. 
He  had  not  been  educated  up  to  a  point  which 
compelled  him  to  do  so.  His  conscience  was  not 
sensitive  on  this  point  above  the  average  of  the 
town's  people.  He  was  afraid,  if  he  did  so,  tha#t 
the  government  would .  coolly  ignore  him  because 
he  was  a  boy,  and  he  should  lose  his  ten  dollars. 
Perhaps  he  thought  he  could  make  better  terms 
with  the  smu^fflers  than  he  could  with  the  honor- 
able  and  high-minded  deputy-collector.  While  he 
was  thinking  of  the  matter,  the  moon  rose  in  the 
clear  sky,  and  shed  a  welcome  light  over  the  bay. 
It  occurred  to  him  that  those  who  had  lost  the 
yacht  might  be  in  search  of  her.  They  might  blun- 
der upon  him  in  the  morning,  and,  being  reckless 
smugglers,  might  even  kill  him  to  prevent  his  bear- 
ing testimony  against  them.  He  did  not  like  the 
idea  of  meeting  any  such  men  alone.  He  preferred 
that  the  interview  should  take  place  in  Camden 


78  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

harbor.  The  wind  was  still  fresh,  and  in  the 
yacht  he  could  beat  over  to  Camden  in  three  or 
four  hours ;  but  he  thought  the  breeze  was  haul- 
ing to  the  southward,  which  would  give  him 
a  slant  so  that  he  could  run  over  without  tacking. 

Moved  by  these  considerations,  he  hoisted  the 
mainsail  of  the  yacht,  which  required  all  his 
strength  and  skill.  He  then  weighed  the  anchor 
of  the  old  tub,  and  carried  her  painter  to  the 
larger  craft.  He  had  a  hard  pull  at  the  anchor 
of  the  yacht,  but  he  got  it  up  after  a  while,  and 
stowed  it  securely  forward.  Rushing  to  the  helm, 
he  hauled  in  the  sheet,  and  taking  the  wind  on 
the  quarter,  he  stood  to  the  northward,  in  order 
to  pass  around  the  island.  The  yacht  worked 
beautifully,  even  without  her  jib.  Hauling  in  the 
sheet  when  she  was  clear  of  the  island,  he  laid  her 
up  to  the  wind  as  close  as  she  would  go.  In  a 
short  time  he  got  the  bearings  of  the  lights,  and 
found  that  he  could  let  out  his  sheet  a  little.  The 
yacht  seemed  to  fly  under  the  fresh  breeze,  and 
Little  Bobtail  watched  her  motions  with  perfect 
delight.  After  a  while  he  discovered  the  light  on 
Negro  Island,  and  it  was  all  plain  sailing  to  him. 

If  the  yacht  went  so  fast  with  only  her  main- 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  79 

sail,  what  would  she  not  do  with  her  jib  also  ? 
The  young  skipper  was  determined  to  test  the 
question,  and,  lashing  the  helm,  he  hoisted  her 
headsail.  Trimming  the  sail  by  the  sheets  which 
led  aft,  the  yacht  increased  her  speed,  and  tossed 
the  water  over  her  boughs  at  a  fearful  rate ;  but 
Little  Bobtail  had  closed  the  fore  scuttle,  and  he 
let  it  toss.  It  was  wild  excitement  to  him,  and 
he  enjoyed  it  to  the  utmost.  In  two  hours  he  was 
approaching  the  Spindles  off  the  Point,  where  he 
deemed  it  prudent  to  take  in  the  jib ;  but  the 
wind  was  not  so  fresh  in  shore,  and  he  went  up 
the  harbor  quite  leisurely.  He  had  time  to  think 
again  ;  and  a  disagreeable  consideration  was  forced 
upon  him,  as  he  heard  the  clock  of  the  Baptist 
Church  strike  one. 

He  was  in  Camden  harbor ;  he  must  come  to 
anchor ;  and  the  next  morning  everybody  would 
wonder  what  boat  the  stranger  was.  The  boat- 
men and  bummers  about  town  would  board  her, 
and  want  to  know  what  those  boxes  contained. 
Little  Bobtail  was  worried ;  but  it  was  high  tide, 
and  he  anchored  close  up  to  the  rocks  in  front  of 
the  cottage.  He  was  not  willing  to  "face  the 
music"  the  next  day,  and  he  was  determined  to 


80  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

get  rid  of  the  boxes,  even  if  he  threw  them  over- 
board. Landing  in  the  old  boat,  he  went  up  to 
the  cottage.  Ezekiel  was  in  a  drunken  sleep  in 
his  chamber.  Nothing  could  wake  him,  as  he 
knew  from  former  experience,  when  he  was  in 
this  condition.  He  went  up  stairs  to  his  own 
chamber.  The  cottage  was  a  one-story  building, 
with  two  rooms  finished  in  the  middle  of  the  roof. 
On  each  side  of  these  chambers  there  was  a  space 
for  old  rubbish,  which  no  one  ever  explored.  The 
young  skipper  decided,  after  a  careful  examination 
of  the  premises,  to  store  the  boxes  in  these  spaces. 
To  will  was  to  do  with  him,  and  he  went  to  work 
at  once. 

In  a  couple  of  hours  he  had  conveyed  the 
twenty  boxes  from  the  boat,  and  packed  them 
away  in  these  lumber-holes,  and  covered  them 
with  old  traps,  so  that  even  his  mother  would  not 
suspect  their  presence  in  the  house.  Having  done 
all  this,  he  sailed  the  yacht  out  into  the  deep 
water  near  the  Portland  Pier,  where  he  anchored 
her.  Tired  out  after  the  long  day  and  the  long 
night,  he  stretched  himself  on  one  of  the  transoms, 
and  went  to  sleep. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  81 


CHAPTER  V. 

MONKEY. 

LITTLE  BOBTAIL  slept  as  soundly  on  the 
transom  of  the  yacht  as  Ezekiel  Taylor  did  in 
the  cottage  ;  and,  as  he  did  not  retire  till  after  three 
in  the  morning,  he  did  not  turn  out  till  nine. 
He  had  worked  all  day  and  nearly  all  night,  and 
he  was  very  tired.  While  he  was  slumbering 
soundly  in  the  cabin,  many  an  eye  was  directed 
from  the  shore,  and  from  the  boats  and  vessels  in 
the  harbor,  a£  the  trim  and  janty  yacht  which  had 
come  in  during  the  night.  She  was  not  there  the 
evening  before,  and  she  was  there  now.  Scores 
of  boatmen  asked  what  she  was  and  where  she 
came  from ;  but  no  one  could  answer.  No  one  had 
seen  her  before,  and  all  were  confident  that  she 
did  not  belong  anywhere  in  the  bay.  The  gossips 
concluded  that  she  was  a  yacht  from  Boston  or 
Portland,  with  a  party  on  board  ;  and,  as  she  had 
6 


82  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

come  in  during  the  night,  they  supposed  her  crew 
were  making  tip  for  lost  time  in  the  matter  of 
sleep.  Those  who  were  out  in  boats,  though  they 
sailed  around  the  stranger  and  examined  her 
carefully,  were  considerate  enough  not  to  go  on 
board  of  her,  and  thus  waken  the  tired  sleepers. 

So  Little  Bobtail  was  permitted  to  finish  his 
nap  in  peace.  The  clock  on  the  Baptist  Church 
was  striking  nine  when  he  woke.  He  leaped 
upon  the  cabin  floor  with  a  start  when  he  saw  the 
sunlight  streaming  in  through  the  round  port-holes 
in  the  trunk.  He  had  no  toilet  to  make,  for  he 
had  turned  in  without  removing  even  his  shoes ; 
and,  putting  on  his  cap,  he  was  ready  for  business 
at  once,  though  he  did  wash  his  face  and  hands, 
and  comb  Ins  hair,  when  a  wash-basin  at  the  for- 
ward part  of  the  cabin  suggested  these  operations 
to  him.  He  had  an  opportunity  to  see  the  yacht 
now  by  daylight,  and  his  previous  impressions  of 
her  were  more  than  confirmed.  She  was  even 
trimmer  and  more  janty  than  he  had  supposed. 

The  experience  of  the  preceding  night  seemed 
to  him  very  like  a  dream.  He  went  on  deck,  and 
examined  with  a  critical  eye  the  standing  and 
running  rigging,   than  which   nothing   could  be 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  83 

neater  or  better.  The  old  tub  in  which  he  had 
been  blown  off  the  day  before  was  anchored  near 
her,  with  a  slack  line  from  her  stern  to  the  yacht, 
as  he  had  left  her.  The  dingy  old  craft  looked  so 
mean  and  insignificant  compared  with  the  yacht, 
that  the  contrast  put  him  almost  out  of  conceit 
with  the  brilliant  plan  he  had  considered  to  pur- 
chase the  former.  He  was  rather  doubtful  whether 
he  should  be  willing  to  invest  the  ten  dollars  — 
if  he  should  obtain  it  —  in  such  an  enterprise. 

Just  then  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  did  not 
even  know  the  name  of  the  yacht.  He  walked 
out  on  the  foot-rope  at  the  end  of  the  main  boom, 
in  order  to  see  if  it  was  painted  on  the  stern. 
There  it  was  —  Skylark  ;  only  this,  and  nothing 
more.  The  port  from  which  she  hailed  was  not 
there.  Skylark  was  a  very  good  name,  though  it 
was  not  particularly  appropriate  for  a  tiring  that 
was  to  sail  on  the  water,  and  not  in  the  air.  But 
"  skylarking  "  was  a  term  applied  to  frolicking,  to 
rude  play;  and  in  this  sense  "  Skylark "  was 
entirely  proper.  On  the  whole,  he  did  not  object 
to  the  name,  and  would  not  if  the  owner  had 
appeared  at  that  moment  and  made  him  a  present 
of  her.     He  was  entirely  satisfied  both  with  the 


84  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

yacht  and  her  name  ;  and,  having  completed  his 
survey  by  daylight,  he  again  pondered  the  subject 
of  smuggling  in  a  general  way,  and  then  in  its 
relations  to  the  incidents  of  the  previous  night. 
No  higher  views,  no  better  resolutions,  came  to 
him.  The  contraband  cargo  was  safe  under  the 
eaves  of  the  cottage,  where  no  one  would  be  likely 
to  find  it ;  though  he  could  not  help  thinking  what 
a  disaster  it  would  be  if  Ezekiel  should  happen  to 
discover  those  boxes,  which  doubtless  contained 
liquor  enough  to  keep  him  drunk  for  a  whole 
year. 

Turning  away  from  the  great  moral  question 
which  confronted  him,  Little  Bobtail  began  to  feel 
—  distinctly  to  feel,  rather  than  to  think  —  that  it 
was  about  breakfast  time.  He  went  forward  and 
removed  the  scuttle  from  over  the  cook-room. 
Jumping  down  into  the  little  apartment,  he  made 
a  fire  in  the  stove,  and  put  on  the  tea-kettle. 
While  it  was  warming  up,  he  went  on  deck  again, 
for  he  heard  the  dip  of  a  pair  of  oars  near  the 
yacht. 

"  Hullo,  Monkey !  "  he  shouted,  as  he  recognized 
the  occupant  of  a  dilapidated  old  dory,  who  was 
taking  a  leisurely  survey  of  the  trim  yacht. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  85 

"Hullo,  Bob!  Is  that  you?"  replied  the 
person  in  the  boat,  who  was  a  boy  of  about  the 
age  of  Little  Bobtail,  though  not  half  so  handsome. 

Robert  had  called  him  "  Monkey,"  and  it  was 
not  difficult  to  determine  where  he  had  obtained 
his  sobriquet,  for,  looking  at  the  youth,  Darwinism 
seemed  to  be  made  easy,  without  distorting  either 
facts  or  logic.  In  his  case,  no  long  ages  appeared 
to  have  elapsed  between  the  monkey  and  the  mail, 
and  the  transition  seemed  to  have  been  easy  and 
natural.  In  a  word,  he  looked  like  a  monkey  in 
the  face,  while  no  one  could  possibly  have  sus- 
pected that  he  was  one.  Above  his  mouth  his 
face  abruptly  receded,  so  that  the  end  of  his  nose 
was  not  far  from  plumb  with  his  lips.  In  the 
middle  of  his  forehead  the  hair  seemed  to  grow 
down  to  the  bridge  of  his  nose.  A  stranger,  who 
was  not  of  a  melancholy  turn  of  mind,  could 
hardly  have  refrained  from  laughing  when  looking 
at  him  .  for  the  first  time.  But  Bobtail  did  not 
laugh,  for  Monkey  was  a  friend,  and  a  brother,  in 
the  generic  sense. 

"  Come  on  board,  Monkey,"  added  Little 
Bobtail. 

"  What  boat's  this  ?  "  asked  the  representative 


86  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

of  Darwinism,  as  he  leaped  upon  the  deck  with 
the  painter  of  the  dory  in  his  hand. 

"  The  Skylark,"  replied  Bobtail. 

As  the  new  arrival  stepped  upon  the  deck  of 
the  yacht,  he  was  not  unlike  the  traditional 
monkey  of  the  circus,  for  his  dress  was  almost 
as  fantastic  as  his  face.  His  father,  who  was  a 
fisherman,  had  been  lost  at  sea,  and  his  mother 
was  a  poor  woman,  with  neither  energy  nor 
gumption,  who  occupied  a  miserable  shanty  about 
a  mile  from  the  village,  in  which  hardly  a  mean 
dwelling  could  be  found.  The  woman  was  be- 
lieved to  be  a  little  "  daft,"  for  she  always  hid 
herself  when  any  of  the  town's  people  appeared 
near  her  shanty.  She  had  a  garden,  in  which 
she  raised  potatoes  and  corn,  and  kept  a  pig 
and  a  cow;  and  these  furnished  her  subsistence, 
with  the  trifle  which  her  son  earned  by  odd 
jobs.  The  woman's  name  was  Nancy  Monk,  and 
her  boy's  was  Peter  Monk,  though  certainly  the 
surname  was  not  needed  to  suggest  the  nick- 
name by  which  he  was  universally  called. 

Of  course  Peter  Monk's  unfortunate  affinity 
to  the  ape  subjected  him  to  no  little  annoyance 
from    the    sneers    and    insults     of   other    boys, 


THE  WEECK   OP  THE  PENOBSCOT.  87 

whose  sense  of  decency  was  below  their  sense 
of  the  ludicrous. 

Though  Peter  was,  in  the  main,  a  good-na- 
tured fellow,  there  was  a  point  of  endurance 
beyond  which  he  was  not  proof  against  the  coarse 
jeers  of  his  companions;  and  more  than  once 
Little  Bobtail  had  been  his  protector  when  borne 
under  by  the  force  of  numbers ;  for  our  hero  had 
a  hard  fist  as  well  as  a  kind  heart.  So  Monkey 
was  his  friend  for  life,  not  so  much  because 
Bobtail  had  fought  his  battles,  as  because  he 
treated  him  well,  and  made  more  of  him  than 
any  one  else  did. 

"Never  heard  of  the  Skylark  before,"  said  the 
visitor.     "  Where  does  she  come  from  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"Who  owns  her?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Where  does  she  belong  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"O,  you  don't?"  grinned  Monkey,  exhibiting 
another  affinity  to  the  origin  of  the  race. 

"No,  I  don't." 

"  Where  are  the  folks  that  belong  to  her  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 


88  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  What  you  doing  on  board  of  her,  Bob  ?  " 

"I'm  looking  out  for  her  till  somebody  comes 
who  has  a  better  right  to  do  so." 

"  How  come  she  here  ?  " 

"  I  brought  her  here." 

"Where  from?" 

"  Blank  Island." 

"  Nobody  lives  there." 

"I   know   it." 

And  Little  Bobtail  smiled  at  the  perplexity  of 
the  visitor. 

"  Well,  then,  how  come  she  over  there,  where 
nobody  don't  live  ?  " 

"  I  picked  her  up  adrift." 

"O,  you  did  — did  you?" 

"  I  did.  But  come  below ;  I  want  to  get  my 
breakfast,"  added  Bobtail,  as  he  led  the  way  down 
into  the  cabin. 

Monkey  stared,  and  exclaimed  as  he  viewed 
the  comfortable,  and  even  luxurious,  furnishings 
of  the  yacht.  He  asked  a  thousand  questions 
which  Bobtail  could  not  answer,  and  a  thousand 
more  which  he  did  answer. 

"  Have  you  been  to  breakfast,  Monkey  ?  "  asked 
Bobtail,  as  he  seated  himself  before  the  stove  in 


THE  WBECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  89 

the  cook-room,  while  the  guest  remained  at  the 
door  in  the  cabin. 

"Yes,  I  had  something,"  replied  Monkey, 
glancing  at  the  leg  of  bacon. 

The  host  knew  very  well  that  Monkey  did  not 
live  much  better  at  home  than  the  pigs  in  the  sty 
of  the  first-class  farmer;  that  he  was  always  a 
hungry  waif,  who  could  make  a  meal  at  any  time. 
He  resolved  to  give  his  visitor  a  treat  on  the 
present  occasion ;  and  he  anticipated  his  own 
breakfast  with  double  pleasure  when  he  thought 
of  the  satisfaction  which  the  meal  would  give  his 
companion, 

"  Monkey,  will  you  take  Prince's  boat  over  to 
her  moorings  for  me  ?  Somebody  may  want  her," 
said  he,  as  he  put  the  coffee-pot  on  the  stove,  and 
took  down  the  leg  of  bacon. 

"  To  be  sure  I  will,  Bob.  I'll  do  anything  for 
you." 

"I  wish  you  would;  and  then  come  back  and 
have  some  breakfast  with  me." 

Monkey  grinned,  and  even  chattered,  as  he 
hastened  to  execute  his  errand.  By  the  time  he 
returned,  Bobtail  had  set  the  table  in  the  cabin ; 
for,  as  he  had  company,  he  decided  to   take  the 


90  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

meal  in  state.  He  had  fried  all  the  rest  of  the  kid 
of  potatoes,  and  two  large  slices  of  ham.  He 
made  the  coffee,  and  mixed  up  a  pitcher  of 
condensed  milk. 

"Sit  down,  Monkey,"  said  Little  Bobtail,  as  he 
wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  brow,  for  the 
cook-room  was  a  hot  place,  even  with  the  scuttle 
open. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Monkey,  showing  all  the  teeth 
in  his  head,  for  when  the  mouths  were  given  out 
he  had  been  supplied  with  a  very  liberal  share. 

The  host  helped  him  to  a  big  piece  of  ham  and 
a  great  heap  of  fried  potatoes.  The  guest  was  not 
very  elegant  in  his  manners ;  but  what  he  lacked 
in  refinement  he  made  up  in  zeal.  Fingers  seemed 
to  come  handier  to  him  than  a  fork,  or,  rather,  a 
"slit  spoon,"  as  he  called  it.  He  did  not  often 
make  two  parts  of  a  slice  of  potato,  and  his  mouth- 
fuls  of  ham  were  big  enough  to  bait  a  large  cod. 
Fortunately  there  was  enough  to  fill  him  up. 

"  Somebody's  looking  for  you,  Bob,  up  in  the 
village,"  said  Monkey,  when  he  began  to  be 
gorged,  which,  however,  was  not  till  both  the 
slices  of  ham  were  nearly  consumed. 

"  For  me  ?  "  asked  Little  Bobtail. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  91 

"  Squire  Gilfilian  asked  me  if  I'd  seen  you ;  and  I 
told  him  I  hadn't.  He  was  askin'  everybody  for 
you.  Some  on  'em  said  you  wan't  to  home  ;  and 
the  old  man  said  he  hadn't  seen  you  sence 
yesterday  mornin'." 

M  Who  wants  me  ?  " 

"I  don't  know;  but  the  squire  wanted  to  see 
you  powerful  bad,"  grinned  Monkey. 

"  All  right.  I'll  go  up  and  see  him  by  and  by," 
said  Bobtail,  as  he  left  the  table. 

With  the  assistance  of  his  new  ally  he  washed 
the  dishes,  cleaned  up  the  stove  and  cooking 
utensils,  and  swept  out  the  cabin.  Everything 
was  put  into  the  neatest  condition.  When  this  was 
done,  the  decks  were  washed  down,  the  sails 
stowed  more  trimly  than  the  skipper  could  do  it 
in  the  dark,  all  the  running  rigging  hauled  taut, 
and  the  ends  coiled  away,  so  that  the  yacht  was 
in  man-of-war  style.  He  found  a  padlock,  with  a 
key  in  it,  to  fasten  the  cabin  door  ;  and  having  put 
the  tiller  below,  so  that  no  one  could  sail  the 
Skylark  in  his  absence,  he  secured  the  door,  and 
went  on  shore  with  Monkey.  He  stopped  at  the 
cottage  to  see  if  his  mother  had  returned  from 
Rockport,  but  neither  she  nor  Ezekiel  was  there. 


92  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

Walking  towards  the  village,  lie  wondered  what 
Squire  Gihilian  could  want  of  him.  He  began  to 
be  a  little  troubled  about  the  letter  again,  for,  in 
the  excitement  of  his  cruise  over  to  Blank  Island, 
he  hardly  thought  of  the  disagreeable  circum- 
stances connected  with  it.  He  found  the  squire 
in  his  Office,  with  a  stranger,  a  flashy-looking  and 
ill-visaged  fellow. 

"  I  hear  you  want  to  see  me,"  said  Little 
Bobtail. 

"  I  do,"  replied  the  lawyer,  sternly  and  de- 
cidedly. "  Come  in  here  ;  "  and  he  led  the  way  to 
his  private  office  in  the  rear.  "  Now,  boy,  I  want 
to  know  what  you  did  with  that  letter." 

"  I  told  you  before  what  I  did  with  it.  I  put  it 
on  your  desk,"  answered  Bobtail,  promptly;  and 
it  is  not  strange  that  his  brown  cheek  flushed  a 
little,  but  it  was  with  indignation,  not  guilt. 

"  So  you  told  me  before;  but  I  don't  believe  it," 
added  the  squire,  with  a  terrible  frown,  and  in  a 
very  loud  tone,  doubtless  involuntarily  resorting  to 
one  of  the  tricks  of  his  trade  to  intimidate  the 
youth. 

"  Do  you  think  I  would  he  about  a  letter  ?  " 
demanded  Bobtail,  warmly. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  93 

" Do  you  know  what  was  in  that  letter?  " 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  " 

"  Because  you  opened  it,"  sharply  retorted  the 
lawyer,  as  though  he  intended  to  overwhelm  a 
contumacious  and  guilty  witness. 

"I  didn't  open  it,"  protested  the  boy,  stoutly. 
"  I  put  it  on  your  desk ;  and  that's  all  1  know 
about  it." 

44  It  is  easier  for  you  to  say  that  than  it  is  for  me 
to  believe  it." 

"I  can't  help  it,  if  you  don't  believe  me.  I 
have  told  the  truth.  I  had  a  letter  for  you,  and 
another  for  Captain  Chinks.  I  gave  him  his  here 
in  your  office,  and  chucked  yours  on  your  desk. 
That's  the  whole  truth,  and  all  I  know  about  the 
letters.  If  Captain  Chinks  was  here  he  would 
tell  you  the  same  tiling,  for  he  said  you  was  busy 
in  here,  and  told  me  to  put  the  letter  on  the  desk ; 
and  that's  just  what  I  did,  and  just  all  I  did." 

"  Captain  Chinks  isn't  here,  and  has  been  gone 
a  week." 

"  He'll  come  back  some  time,  I  suppose." 

"I  don't  know  whether  he  will  or  not.  He's 
mixed  up  with  a  smuggling  case,  and  he  may  not 
deem  it  prudent  to  come  back." 


94  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"Whether,  he  does  or  not,  I  never  saw  the 
letter  after  I  put  it  on  your  desk." 

The  lawyer  bit  his  lips.  There  was  nothing  in 
the  tones  or  the  manner  of  the  youth  to  excite 
suspicion,  and  Little  Bobtail's  reputation  for 
honesty  was  first  class.  A  year  before,  he  had 
found  the  wallet  of  a  stranger,  which  he  might 
have  kept,  but  had  taken  great  pains  to  find 
the  owner.  In  fact,  everybody  that  knew  him 
knew  that  he  was  honest. 

"Now,  Little  Bobtail,  you  stand  very. well  in 
the  village,"  continued  Squire  Gilfilian,  with  a 
smile,  as  he  suddenly  changed  his  tactics. 

"I  always  mean  to  keep  myself  straight,  sir," 
added  Bobtail. 

"  Of  course  you  do.  But  the  best  of  us  are 
sometimes  tempted  to  do  wrong.  If  you  have 
been  led  away,  and — " 

"  I  haven't  been  led  away,  sir." 

"You  may  have  made  a  mistake.  If  you 
opened  that  letter  by  accident  or  otherwise  —  " 

"  I  didn't  open  it  by  accident  or  otherwise.  I 
didn't  open  it  at  all,"  interposed  the  boy,  with 
energy. 

"  Hear  what  I  have  to  say,  Little  Bobtail.     The 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  95 

best  of  folks  are  sometimes  led  away.  Even 
ministers  of  the  gospel  once  in  a  great  while  do  a 
wicked  deed." 

"  I  don't  care  if  they  do  ;  I  haven't  opened  your 
letter." 

"  But  I'm  only  supposing  a  case." 

"  Well,  sir,  you  needn't  suppose  I  opened  that 
letter,  for  I  didn't."     , 

"  Suppose  you  had  opened  it  —  " 

"I  didn't." 

"  It  is  only  an  hypothesis." 

"  I  don't  care  if  it  is ;  I  didn't  open  the  letter," 
persisted  Bobtail,  who  had  not  the  least  idea  what 
an  hypothesis  was. 

"  If  somebody  else,  then,  had  opened  that  letter, 
and  taken  out  the  money.  He  might  have  been 
sorely  tempted ;  he  might  have  opened  it  by  acci- 
dent," said  the  squire,  in  soft,  oily  tones. 

"  Somebody  else  might,  but  I  didn't." 

"If  he  don't  feel  bad  about  it  now,  he  will,  as 
sure  as  he  lives,  for  the  truth  will  come  out. 
Don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

" 1  do  think  so." 

"It  will  ruin  his  reputation,  send  him  to  the 
state  prison,  and  spoil  his  prospects  forever.     Now, 


96  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

don't  you  think  it  would  be  better  for  him  to  give 
up  the  money,  if  I  should  say  to  him  that  I 
wouldn't  mention  the  matter?  " 

"  I  think  he  had  better  give  it  up,  whether  you 
mention  it  or  not,"  answered  Bobtail,  more  calmly. 

"  Then  don't  you  think  you  had  better  give  it 
up?" 

"I  tell  you  again,  I  didn't  open  the  letter,  and 
haven't  seen  the  money,"  protested  Bobtail, 
violently. 

"  You  had  better  think  it  over." 

44  I  don't  want  to  think  it  over." 

44  You  will  have  to  go  to  jail  if  you  don't." 
*  "  I  can  go  to  jail,  but  I  can't  give  up  what  I 
haven't  got,  nor  own  up  to  what  I  didn't  do." 

44  The  letter  which  you  brought  to  my  office  that 
morning  contained  five  hundred  dollars  in  one  bill. 
It  was  my  advance  fee  for  defending  the  Bucking- 
ham Bank  robbers.  Their  friends  raised  the 
money;  but  only  a  rogue  would  have  sent  it  in 
cash.  The  letter  is  gone.  It  was  last  in  your 
hands.  Now  you  had  better  think  it  all  over,  and 
you  may  stay  here  and  do  so,  while  I  talk  with 
the  gentleman  in  the  other  room."  And  the 
squire  opened  the  door. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  97 

There  was  another  person  in  the  front  room 
now,  who  had  entered  during  this  interview.  In 
spite  of  the  suspicion  of  the  attorney,  this  person 
was  Captain  Chinks,  who  was  promptly  summoned 
to  the  private  office,  and  the  conference  renewed. 

The  ill-visaged  person  in  the  front  room  was 
probably  a  bank  robber  himself,  though  he  was  not 
yet  implicated  in  the  Buckingham  affair.  He  was 
a  friend  of  the  robbers  who  had  been  arrested,  and 
had  employed  Squire  Gilfilian  —  who  was  as  elo- 
quent in  speech  as  he  was  skilful  in  the  intricacies 
of  the  law  —  to  defend  his  unfortunate  friends. 
The  lawyer  would  not  do  so  without  a  fee  in 
advance ;  and  the  five  hundred  dollars  had  been 
sent  in  the  letter  which  had  so  strangely  dis- 
appeared. Either  the  sender  knew  no  better  than 
to  trust  so  large  a  sum  in  the  mail,  or  his  criminal 
associations  made  him  diffident  about  applying  for 
a  check  or  draft. 

Hearing  nothing  from  the  lawyer,  he  had  written 
again,  stating  that  he  had  sent  the  money  at  the 
time  agreed  upon.  The  squire  had  expected  the 
letter,  and  intended  immediately  to  start  for  the 
county  town  in  the  jail  of  which  the  robbers  were 
7 


98 

confined,  in  order  to  examine  his  case.  In  reply 
to  the  second  letter,  he  telegraphed  to  his  corre- 
spondent in  Portland  that  he  had  not  received  the 
first;  and  then  the  robbers'  agent  had  come  himself. 
There  he  was  in  the  front  room. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  99 


CHAPTER  VI. 


CAPTAIN   CHINKS. 


"  T'M  very  glad  to  see  you,  Captain  Chinks," 

JL  said  Squire  Gilfilian,  as  he  conducted  the 
gentleman  of  doubtful  reputation  into  his  private 
office. 

"Is  my  case  likely  to  come  up  soon?"  asked 
the  captain. 

"No,  I  don't  think  it  will  ever  come  up," 
answered  the  lawyer. 

"  Well,  you  have  changed  your  tune  since  I  was 
here  before,"  added  Captain  Chinks,  with  a 
satisfied  smile.  "  Then  everything  was  going 
to  be  proved  against  me ;  now,  nothing." 

"  I  have  sifted  down  all  the  evidence  the  gov- 
ernment has ;  and  you  needn't  trouble  yourself 
any  more  about  that  matter." 

"  I  suppose  an  innocent  man  never  need  fear," 
said  the  captain. 


100  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

Squire  Gilfilian,  looked  at  the  gentleman  of 
doubtful  reputation,  opened  his  eyes  with  a  jerk, 
and  a  faint  smile  played  about  the  corners  of  his 
mouth.  But  professionally  he  dealt  with  evidence 
and  questions  of  law,  rather  than  with  truth  itself. 
He  did  not  ask  what  was  true,  only  what  could  be 
proved. 

Little  Bobtail  listened  attentively  to  this  con- 
versation, though  he  had  very  little  interest  in  it. 
But  he  could  not  help  indorsing,  in  his  own  mind, 
the  remark  of  Captain  Chinks,  that  the  innocent 
never  need  fear.  He  was  under  suspicion  himself; 
but  he  was  not  afraid. 

"  Ah,  Bobtail !  are  you  a  witness  for  the  pros- 
ecution?" said  the  captain,  appearing  now  to  see 
the  youth  for  the  first  time. 

"No,  sir.  I'm  the  defendant  myself,"  replied 
Bobtail,  pleasantly ;  for  the  arrival  of  the  captain 
seemed  to  settle  all  his  trouble.  "  I  am  in  stays 
just  now,  caught  in  going  about,  and  there  I  hang. 
If  you  will  just  give  me  a  pull  on  the  lee  side,  I 
shall  go  about  handsomely." 

"  Certainly,  my  lad.  If  you  miss  stay  in  this 
law  business,  there's  always  a  lee  shore  to  drift  on 
to,  and  no  room  to  wear  round." 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  101 

"Captain  Chinks,"  interposed  the  lawyer,  who 
did  not  so  clearly  comprehend  the  nautical  view 
of  the  case,  "  I  lost  a  letter  the  day  you  went 
away." 

"  And  Bobtail  found  it,"  suggested  the  captain. 

"  Not  exactly.     I  never  received  it." 

"  Then  I  don't  see  how  you  lost  it." 

"  Little  Bobtail  and  the  post-master  agree  per- 
fectly on  one  point  —  that  two  letters  were  given 
him,  one  to  carry  to  you  and  the  other  to  me,  on 
the  day  you  went  away." 

"  And  I  perfectly  agree  with  Little  Bobtail  and 
the  post-master.  He  gave  me  my  letter  in  your 
front  office,  only  two  minutes  after  you  told  me 
that  I  was  certain  to  be  arrested  in  less  than 
twenty-four  hours  for  being  concerned  in  that 
smuggling  case,  when  it  was  as  plain  as  the  nose 
on  a  man's  face  that  I  had  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  it.  He  gave  me  that  letter,  and  that  letter 
called  me  on  business  down  to  Mount  Desert. 
You  see,  squire,  when  a  man  is  innocent  —  " 

"  Exactly  so,"  interposed  Squire  Gilfilian.  "  We 
will  grant  that  you  are  entirely  innocent.  But  the 
smuggling  case  is  not  before  the  court  just  now. 
We  were  speaking  of  the  letters.     We  will  grant 


102  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

that  Bobtail  delivered  your  letter  to  you  all  right. 
Do  you  happen  to  know  anything  about  the  other 
letter?" 

The  squire  glanced  at  Little  Bobtail,  to  discover 
any  evidences  of  guilt  or  confusion  in  his  face. 
Certainly  he  was  deeply  interested,  and  even 
anxious ;  but,  being  young  and  inexperienced,  he 
had  an  undoubting  confidence  in  the  ultimate 
triumph  of  truth  and  innocence. 

"I  do  happen  to  know  all  about  it,"  replied 
Captain  Chinks,  after  he  also  had  glanced  at 
the  boy. 

"Well,  what  do  you  know  about  it?"  de- 
manded the  lawyer,  rather  impatiently,  as  the 
captain  paused,  and  looked  again  at  the  alleged 
culprit. 

"  Bobtail  gave  me  my  letter,  and  I  opened  it  at 
once,  for  I  was  expecting  that  letter,  and  had 
asked  for  it  at  the  post-office,  for  it  was  getting 
rather  late  for  the  steamer,  and  I  had  some  busi- 
ness in  Rockland.  I  was  expecting  to  meet  a 
man  down  to  Bar  Harbor." 

"  We  will  grant  that  your  letter  was  all  right, 
captain.     We  were  speaking  of  the  other  letter." 

"  I  thought  we  were  speaking  of  both  of  them," 
laughed  the  captain. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  103 

"It  is  all  settled  in  regard  to  your  letter ;  and 
you  have  been  to  Rockland,  Bar  Harbor,  and  down 
into  the  provinces,  for  aught  I  know." 

"  No,  I  haven't.  I  was  in  St.  John  —  let  me 
see  —  two  years  ago ;  and  I  haven't  been  there 
since.  You  seem  to  think  I  have  business  down 
in  the  provinces,  squire." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  at  all  about  your 
business,  captain.  But  they  say  that  a  great  deal 
of  brandy  finds  its  way  into  the  States  without 
paying  any  duties,"  chuckled  the  squire. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  I  have  anything 
to  do  with  bringing  it  in  —  do  you,  Squire  Gilfil- 
ian?"  demanded  the  captain,  who  seemed  to  be 
damaged  in  his  feelings  by  the  lawyer's  thrust. 

"  Certainly  not." 

"  Because  you  have  just  proved  that  I  have 
not." 

"  Hardly ;  only  failed  to  prove  that  you  have. 
But  the  letter,  captain.  Bobtail  says  you  were 
here  when  he  brought  it  into  the  office." 

"  I  was  here,  squire,"  answered  the  captain, 
dropping  into  an  arm-chair. 

"I  asked  you,  Captain  Chinks  — "  Little  Bob- 
tail began. 


104  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

"Never  mind  what  you  asked  him,"  interposed 
the  squire,  sharply.  "  I  have  heard  your  story, 
and  now  I  want  to  hear  the  captain's,  without  any 
leading  questions." 

"  Don't  be  so  snappy  with  the  boy,  squire.  I'll 
tell  you  all  about  the  letter  without  any  questions 
at  all,"  added  Captain  Chinks. 

"  Well,  I  really  wish  you  would.  I  have  been 
trying  for  some  time  to  get  at  the  facts,  and  you 
have  talked  about  everything  except  the  one  thing 
I  wish  to  know,"  said  the  lawyer,  impatiently. 

"  Steady  as  she  is,  squire,  and  I'll  tell  you  all 
about  it.  When  I  came  out  of  this  office,  the  day 
I  went  away,  I  met  Little  Bobtail  coming  into  the 
front  one  with  two  letters  in  his  hand.  He  gave 
me  mine,  and  then  asked  where  you  were,  squire. 
I  told  him  you  were  in  this  office,  and  that  you 
were  busy.  Then  Bobtail  said  he  had  a  letter  for 
you,  and  I  told  him  to  put  it  on  your  desk.  He 
tossed  it  on  your  desk,  and  then  left.  I  can  tell 
you  just  where  it  lay  on  the  cover." 

"  So  can  I,"  said  the  boy,  as  cheerful  as  a  lark 
now,  for  the  captain  had  precisely  confirmed  all  his 
story. 

"  Can  you  ?     Come  and  show  me,  then.  —  Stay 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  105 

here  a  moment,  captain,"  said  the  squire,  as  he 
conducted  the  boy  to  the  front  office,  closing  the 
door  behind  him. 

Little  Bobtail  indicated  the  precise  spot  where 
the  letter  lay  when  he  had  thrown  it  upon  the 
desk.  Captain  Chinks  was  called  in,  and  pointed 
to  exactly  the  same  place.  There  was  not  a 
variation  of  two  inches  between  them. 

"  I  can  swear  that  the  letter  lay  on  the  desk 
after  Bobtail  went  out  of  the  office,"  said  Captain 
Chinks,  decidedly. 

"I  am  willing  to  grant  that  Little  Bobtail  has 
told  the  truth,  and  that  he  is  entirely  exculpated 
from  the  charge  ;  for  if  either  or  both  of  you  have 
been  lying,  your  testimony  would  have  conflicted 
in  some  point,  as  it  does  not  now." 

"That's  handsome,  squire,"  added  the  captain. 

"  By  the  way,  when  did  you  see  Bobtail  last, 
captain?  "  asked  the  lawyer. 

"  I  haven't  seen  him  since  the  day  I  went 
away." 

"  You  may  go,  Bobtail,"  added  the  squire. 

"  I'm  in  no  hurry,  sir.  Perhaps  you  will  want 
to  ask  me  some  more  questions,"  replied  the 
boy. 


106  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  If  the  letter  was  left  on  my  desk,  I  ought  to 
have  found  it  there,"  continued  the  lawyer. 

"  That's  so.  But  you  don't  always  find  things 
where  you  put  them,"  said  Captain  Chinks, 
sagely. 

A  long  conversation  about  the  missing  letter 
followed;  but  no  clew  to  it  was  obtained.  The 
ill-visaged  man,  who  wished  to  save  the  Bucking- 
ham Bank  robbers  from  a  long  term  in  the  state 
prison,  thought  it  was  very  hard  that  his  friends 
should  suffer  because  somebody  had  stolen  the 
letter,  or  the  squire  had  lost  it  by  his  carelessness. 
But  the  lawyer  thought  his  correspondent  was  to 
blame  for  not  sending  a  check  or  draft ;  to  which 
the  ill-visaged  replied  that  a  check  or  draft  would 
have  been  lost  in  the  same  manner  the  money  had 
been. 

Finally  Squire  Gilfilian  agreed  to  defend  the 
bank  robbers,  and  their  friend  agreed  to  raise  the 
money  to  pay  him  before  the  trial  came  on.  He 
did  defend  them ;  but  even  he  was  not  smart 
enough  to  save  them  from  a  long  term  in  the 
state  prison. 

Little  Bobtail  was  entirely  satisfied  with  the 
result  of  the  examination,  so  far  as  he  was  per- 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  107 

sonally  concerned,  though,  as  the  squire  seemed  to 
be  very  fair  about  it,  he  was  sorry  that  he  should 
lose  so  large  a  sum  of  money.  More  than  this,  he 
had  more  respect  than  ever  before  for  Captain 
Chinks,  who,  he  was  quite  sure,  had  told  the  truth 
in  this  instance.  He  might  have  given  him  a  world 
of  trouble  if  he  had  simply  declined  to  tell  the 
truth,  or  had  distorted  it  even  a  little.  Bobtail 
was,  therefore,  very  grateful  to  him  for  doing  what 
it  was  plainly  his  duty  to  do.  Still  our  hero  could 
not  help  wondering,  as  hundreds  of  others  won- 
dered, whether  or  not  the  captain  really  smuggled 
goods  into  the  state.  Perhaps  he  would  not  have 
thought  much  the  worse  of  him  if  he  had  known 
that  such  was  the  fact;  for,  as  we  have  before 
stated,  Bobtail's  views  of  smuggling  were  not  very 
definite.  He  had  never  considered  the  subject 
enough  to  have  any  fixed  opinions. 

Captain  Chinks  was  a  thriving,  driving,  enter- 
prising man,  who  did  any  kind  of  business  which 
promised  an  adequate  remuneration.  He  went  a 
fishing,  he  traded  horses,  traded  boats,  traded 
vehicles.  He  had  been  in  the  salmon  business, 
importing  it  from  the  provinces,  and  sending  it  to 
Boston ;  he  had  been  in  the  pogy  oil  business ;  he 


108  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

had  been  in  the  staging  business ;  he  had  been  in 
the  hotel  business  in  a  small  way.  He  owned  a 
farm,  and  was  a  mechanic  besides.  He  sometimes 
built  a  boat  during  the  winter  season,  and  ran  it 
during  the  summer,  or  sold  it,  if  an  opportunity 
presented.  If  there  was  a  camp-meeting,  he 
carried  passengers  in  his  craft  to  and  from  the 
grounds.  He  was,  or  had  been,  in  all  these  occu- 
pations. They  were  visible  and  tangible ;  and 
some  people  insisted  that  he  was  engaged  in 
other  occupations  which  were  not  so  visible  and 
tangible. 

Little  Bobtail  left  Captain  Chinks  in  the  lawyer's 
office,  and  walked  down  the  shore  road  to  the 
cottage.  He  went  in  and  found  Ezekiel  drunk  on 
the  bed.  He  did  not  disturb  him,  but  went  up 
stairs  to  see  if  the  boxes  he  had  removed  from  the 
Skylark  were  still  securely  hidden  from  the  obser- 
vation of  any  one  who  might  visit  the  upper  part 
of  the  house.  He  adjusted  the  rubbish  which 
covered  them,  and  then  left  the  cottage.  Monkey 
was  paddling  about  the  harbor  in  the  old  dory, 
which  he  had  borrowed  at  the  head  of  the  bay. 
The  moment  his  grateful  friend  saw  him,  he 
pulled  to  the  rocks  where  he  stood,  and  they  went 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  109 

on  board  of  the  yacht  together.  Little  Bobtail 
looked  her  over  again,  and  began  to  wonder  that 
no  one  appeared  to  claim  her.  He  could  not  help 
asking  if  any  one  would  ever  appear  to  claim  her. 
Whoever  did  so  would  have  to  account  for  the 
presence  of  those  cases  of  brandy  in  her  cabin. 
If  the  owner  had  any  regard  for  his  reputation,  he 
might  choose  rather  to  sacrifice  the  boat  and  her 
cargo,  than  to  subject  himself  to  the  penalty  of  his 
transgression.  If  he  claimed  the  boat,  he  was 
reasonably  sure  that  both  would  be  confiscated,  and 
he  would  make  nothing  by  doing  so,  pecuniarily, 
and  was  liable  to  punishment  besides.  Bobtail 
thought  it  would  be  a  fine  thing  to  own  the  Sky- 
lark, or  even  to  have  the  use  of  her  for  a  season  or 
two ;  and  hoped  the  legal  owner  of  her  would 
have  a  proper  regard  for  his  reputation,  and  not 
risk  it  by  putting  forward  his  claim  to  her. 

Certainly  for  the  present  Bobtail  was  in  charge 
of  her,  and  there  was  no  one  to  dictate  what  he 
should  or  should  not  do  with  her.  He  was  willing 
that  everybody  should  see  the  boat ;  and,  to  enable 
any  one  who  might  possibly  throw  light  upon  her 
ownership  to  do  so,  he  thought  it  best  to  sail  her 
about  the  harbor.     The  tide   was  up   now,  and, 


110  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

with  the  assistance  of  Monkey,  he  hoisted  the 
mainsail  and  got  up  the  anchor. 

"  Now,  stand  by  the  jib-halyards,  Monkey," 
shouted  the  skipper,  as  he  took  the  helm. 

"All  clear,  Bob,"  replied  the  hand  before  the 
mast. 

"  Hoist  the  jib." 

Monkey  knew  all  about  a  boat,  and  did  his  work 
well.  The  Skylark  went  off  with  the  fresh  breeze 
on  her  quarter,  and  Bobtail  felt  like  a  lord  at  the 
helm. 

"Don't  she  spin!"  said  Monkey,  as  he  seated 
himself  in  the  standing-room,  and  fixed  his  gaze 
on  the  swelling  sails. 

"She  goes  it  like  a  locomotive,"  replied  the 
skipper.  "  Now  haul  in  on  the  main  sheet,  and 
we  will  run  up  the  harbor." 

The  Skylark,  close-hauled,  ran  up  to  the  head 
of  the  little  bay,  and  coming  about,  stood  over 
close  to  the  wharf,  at  the  head  of  which  the  fish 
market  and  several  stores  were  located. 

"Hollo,  Bobtail!"  shouted  the  skipper  of  the 
Islesboro'  packet,  which  had  come  in  that  morn- 
ing, and  lay  alongside  the  wharf.  "  What  boat's 
that?" 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  Ill 

"  The  Skylark,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"  Where  did  she  come  from  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  I  picked  her  up  yesterday,  and 
want  to  find  the  owner,"  replied  Bobtail,  who, 
while  he  was  looking  for  an  owner,  did  not  really 
wish  to  find  one,  though  he  was  prepared  to  do  all 
that  was  fair  and  right  in  the  premises. 

"Where  did  you  pick  her  up?"  asked  ine 
skipper  of  the  packet. 

As  the  Skylark  was  now  almost  out  of  hailing 
distance,  Bobtail  came  about,  and  ran  up  alongside 
the  packet,  skilfully  spilling  the  sail  at  the  right 
moment,  so  that  she  hardly  bumped  against  the 
other  vessel,  though  Monkey  stood  ready  with  the 
fenders. 

"  I  picked  her  up  near  Blank  Island,"  replied 
Bobtail. 

"  I  seen  a  boat  like  her  just  about  sundown  last 
night.  I  couldn't  -  make  her  out,  but  I  cal'late 
that's  the  craft  I  see,"  added  the  skipper.  "But 
how  on  airth  came  she  adrift  ?  " 

"  That's  more  than  I  know." 

"Don't  Captain  Chinks  know  nothin'  about 
her?     He  come  over  with  me  from  Isleboro'  this 


112  LITTLE    BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  I  saw  him  up  in  town  this  morning,  but  he 
didn't  say  anything  about  her,"  answered  Bobtail. 

"  I  don't  know's  he  knows  anything  about  her ; 
but  he's  pooty  well  acquainted  with  all  the  boats 
in  these  parts.  Was  there  anything  on  board  of 
her  ?  " 

"  She's  a  pleasure  craft.  Come  on  board  and 
look  at  her,"  replied  Bobtail,  evasively. 

The  skipper  of  the  packet  accepted  the  invita- 
tion, and  looked  over  the  Skylark.  He  was 
critical  in  his  observations,  and  did  not  believe 
that  any  of  these  fancy  craft  amounted  to  much 
in  heavy  weather.  She  was  "  fixed  up  smart," 
and  was  "  handsome' s  a  picture;"  but  "he'd 
rather  have  his  homely  boat  when  it  blowed  than 
a  thousand  sech  highflyers."  They  could  "  chalk 
a  line  up  in  to  the  wind  in  light  weather,  but  they 
wan't  nothin'  in  a  sea." 

Bobtail  did  not  indorse  these  critical  remarks, 
for  he  had  tried  the  Skylark  in  a  sea,  and  knew 
that  she  was  equal  to  anything. 

"  I  hope  you'll  find  the  owner,  and  I  cal'late 
you'll  make  some  thin'  out  of  the  job,"  said  the 
skipper,  as  he  returned  to  his  vessel. 

Bobtail  did  not  particularly  hope  so ,   for  even 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  113 

if  he  made  something  out  of  the  job,  he  was  afraid 
he  should  never  be  satisfied  with  the  old  tub  in 
which  he  haft  sailed  the  day  before,  if  he  bought 
her,  now  that  he  had  realized  the  glories  of  the 
Skylark. 

"  Shove  her  off,  Monkey,"  said  he,  as  he  re- 
sumed his  place  at  the  helm. 

Running  along  close  to  the  wharves,  he  answered 
several  hails  of  persons  who  wished  to  know  about 
the  boat.  It  would  soon  be  all  over  town  that  he 
had  picked  up  the  yacht;  and  having  in  this 
manner  sufficiently  advertised  her,  he  stood  off 
towards  the  open  bay,  passing  between  the  Spin- 
dles off  the  point. 

"Where  are  you  going  to  now,  Bob?"  asked 
Monkey. 

"  We  will  take  a  little  sail,  just  to  see  how  the 
boat  works." 

"  She  works  fust  rate,  and  no  mistake,"  added 
Monkey,  with  admiration. 

"I'd  give  more  to  own  this  boat  than  I  would 
to  be  one  of  the  selectmen,"  continued  Bobtail. 
"  She's  a  tip-top  sea  boat.  Take  the  helm,  Mon- 
key, and  see  how  nice  she  steers." 

The  Darwinian  opened  his  mouth  from  ear  to 
8 


114  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

ear  with  pleasure  as  he  complied  with  the  request. 
Of  course  he  fully  agreed  with  all  the  skipper  said. 
^Bobtail  walked  forward,  and  then  went  below. 
It  was  about  time  to  be  thinking  of  dinner,  though 
he  was  not  very  hungry  yet.  He  looked  over  the 
stores  of  the  yacht,  to  see  if  there  was  anything 
besides  bacon  for  the  meal.  In  •  a  small  tub  he 
found  some  salt  pork.  One  of  the  lockers  under 
the  transom  was  half  full  of  potatoes  ;  but  he  dis- 
covered no  other  meat.  After  this  survey  he 
concluded  to  dine  on  fish,  for  he  had  his  lines  and 
salt  clams  on  deck.  Returning  to  the  helm,  he 
put  the  yacht  about,  and  stood  up  to  one  of  the 
best  of  the  fisliing-grounds. 

"  Lower  the  jib,""  he  called  to  his  crew;  and 
when  this  was  done,  he  directed  him  to  throw  over 
the  anchor.  "  Now,  Monkey,  catch  some  fish 
while  I  go  below  and  make  a  fire." 

In  a  few  moments  Bobtail  had  a  fire  in  the 
stove.  Washing  some  potatoes,  he  pared  and 
sliced  them.  Three  big  slices  of  salt  pork  in  the 
pan  soon  produced  fat  enough  to  fry  them.  By 
this  time  there  was  a  movement  on  deck.  The 
Darwinian  was  pulling  in  a  fish. 

"  A  cod  !  "  shouted  Monkey.  "  He's  a  nice 
one,  too." 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  115 

"  How  big  is  lie  ?  "   asked  Bobtail. 

"  Five  or  six  pounds." 

"  That's  enough.  Dress  him,  and  cut  him  up, 
to  fry." 

By  the  time  the  potatoes  were  cooked  the  fish 
was  ready  for  the  pan.  The  cook  covered  the 
pieces  with  Indian  meal,  and  the  dinner  was  soon 
ready.  Bobtail  had  already  set  the  table.  He  had 
put  on  plates,  knives  and  forks,  and  glasses  for 
two,  a  pitcher  of  water,  a  plate  of  pickles,  and  a 
dish  of  hard  bread.  The  fish  was  placed  on  the 
casing  of  the  centre-board,  in  the  middle  of  the 
table,  consisting  of  two  leaves,  which  could  be 
dropped  down  when  not  in  use.  Monkey  was 
called,  and  the  dinner  proceeded  in  due  form.  The 
Darwinian  did  not  seem  to  be  quite  so  enthusiastic 
as  at  breakfast,  perhaps  because  his  table  at  home 
was  oftener  garnished  with  fish  and  salt  pork  than 
with  any  other  food.  However,  he  did  ample 
justice  to  the  bill  of  fare,  and  liberally  praised  the 
cook  for  his  skill  in  the  art. 

While  they  were  thus  pleasantly  engaged,  thoy 
heard  a  slight  bump  against  the  side  of  the  yacht, 
followed  by  the  sound  of  voices.  With  the  in- 
stinct of  a  genuine  boatman,  Bobtail  rushed  upon 


116  LITTLE  feOBTAIL,   OR 

deck  to  assure  himself  that  no  harm  befell  the 
Skylark,  when  the  other  boat  came  alongside.  He 
found  that  Prince,  in  the  white  sloop,  had  just  put 
Captain  Chinks  on  board,  and  had  already  shoved 
off.  Bobtail  looked  at  the  captain,  and  thought  he 
had  taken  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  pay  him  this 
visit,  for  Prince  had  come  about,  and  was  standing 
up  to  the  village.  He  felt  as  though  he  should 
now  be  called  upon  to  give  up  the  Skylark  to  her 
righful  owner. 

"I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Captain  Chinks,"  ex- 
claimed he ;  but  what  he  said  was  rather  compli- 
mentary than  strictly  true  —  a  society  fib. 

"  Won't  you  come  below,  and  take  some  dinner 
with  us  ?  " 

The  captain  had  been  to  dinner,  for  it  was  now 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  he  began  to  ask 
about  the  Skylark. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.        117 


CHAPTER    VII. 

IN  THE  CABIN  OF  THE  SKYLARK. 

LITTLE  BOBTAIL  was  not  particularly  glad 
to  see  Captain  Chinks  when  he  boarded  the 
Skylark,  at  her  anchorage  on  the  fishing-grounds. 
It  seemed  as  though  the  captain  had  taken  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  to  come  down  several  miles  from 
the  village,  probably  hiring  Prince  to  put  him 
alongside  the  yacht.  Yet  he  could  not  help  think- 
ing that  the  slight  uneasiness  which  disturbed  him 
was  very  absurd.  He  had  permitted  himself  to 
hope  that  the  owner  of  the  Skylark  would  not 
claim  her,  or,  at  least,  would  not  claim  her  till  he 
had  the  use  of  her  for  a  season,  the  longer  the 
better ;  but  he  felt  that  he  had  no  right  to  hope 
any  such  thing.  The  yacht  was  a  beautiful  craft, 
and  it  was  in  the  very  height  of  the  boating  sea- 
son. All  his  hopes,  however,  had  been  very 
vague,  and  were  not  founded  on  any  reasonable 


118  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

basis.  He  had  been  considering  the  remotest  of 
possibilities,  rather  than  the  slightest  probabil- 
ities. 

When  Captain  Chinks  came  on  board,  Bobtail 
felt  that  he  had  come  to  claim  the  yacht.  Accord- 
ing to  the  general  "  speech  of  people,"  this  man 
of  a  doubtful  reputation  was,  more  likely  than  any 
other  person  in  Camden,  the  owner  of  the  twenty 
cases  of  brandy.  If  he  claimed  the  yacht,  he 
must  claim  the  smuggled  goods  at  the  same  time. 
Of  course  Bobtail  would  be  expected  to  keep  the 
secret,  and  thereby  become  a  party  to  the  fraud. 
He  was  not  prepared  for  this  issue.  He  did  not 
want  the  confidence  of  any  smuggler.  Whatever 
his  own  views  of  the  contraband  trade,  he  would 
not  break  any  law  of  the  land  himself,  however 
leniently  he  was  disposed  to  regard  others  who 
neglected  to  pay  duties  to  the  custom-house.  He 
had  always  tried  to  be  honest  and  upright,  and  he 
had  a  perfect  horror  of  being  anything  else. 

"How's  this,  Bobtail?"  said  Captain  Chinks, 
casting  his  eyes  about  him,  as  if  to  examine  the 
parts  of  the  yacht.     "This  is  a  fine  boat!" 

"  Tip-top,  sir,"  replied  the  skipper,  with  proper 
enthusiasm. 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  119 

44  Some  one  up  in  the  village  said  you  picked 
her  up  adrift.     Is  that  so  ?  " 

"  That's  so,  Captain  Chinks.  I  found  her  drift- 
ing out  to  sea,  over  near  Blank  Island.  Does  she 
belong  to  you,  sir  ?  " 

44  To  me  ?  "  exclaimed  the  visitor,  with  a  slight 
start,  which  did  not  escape  the  observation  of  Lit- 
tle Bobtail.  "  What  makes  you  think  she  belongs 
tome?" 

"  I  didn't  say  I  thought  so.  I  only  asked  you 
if  she  did.  Captain  Flipper,  of  the  Islesboro' 
packet,  said  you  might  know  something  about 
her." 

"  What  made  him  think  I  knew  anything  about 
her  ?  " 

44  I  don't  know  that  he  did  think  so ;  only  he 
said  you  came  over  from  Islesboro'  with  him  this 
morning,"  Bobtail  explained. 

44  What  has  that  to  do  with  it  ? " 

"  Nothing,  that  I  know  of.  Captain  Flipper 
said  you  knew  about  all  the  boats  in  these  parts." 

44  O,  that's  the  reason  he  said  I  might  know 
about  her  ? "  added  Captain  Chinks,  apparently 
relieved  by  the  explanation. 

44  Yes,  sir,  I  suppose  so.     Now,  do  you  know 


120  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB 

anything  about  her  ?  "   asked  the  young  skipper, 
forcing  the   question  home. 

"Possibly  I  have  seen  her.     I  don't  know." 
"  Then  she  don't  belong  to  you  ?  " 
"  Why  do  you  keep  asking  me  that  question, 
Bobtail  ?     Do  you  think  I  own  her  ?  "  demanded 
the  captain,  rather  sharply. 

"  I  don't  think  anything  at  all  about  it.  I  don't 
know.  I  can't  tell  by  the  looks  of  a  man  whether 
he  owns  this  boat  or  not.  I'm  looking  for  her 
owner,  and  so  I  asked  you  the  question." 

"  Well,  I  don't  own  her,"  said  Captain  Chinks, 
with  more  earnestness  than  Bobtail  thought  the 
occasion  required ;  but  he  could  not  help  suspect- 
ing, from  his  manner,  that  Captain  Chinks  knew 
something  about  the  Skylark. 

"  Do  you  happen  to  know  who  does  own  her  ?  " 
continued  Bobtail. 

"  No,  I  don't  know  anything  at  all  about  her." 
The  Darwinian  had  left  his  dinner  when  Bobtail 
did,  and  had  come  as  far  as  the  companion-way, 
where  he  stood  listening  to  the  conversation  which 
took  place  while  the  parties  stood  on  deck.  Cap- 
tain Chinks  had  discovered  Monkey's  presence 
only  a  moment  before,  and  it  was  possible  that  his 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  121 

decided  answers  were  called  forth  by  the  fact  that 
a  third  person  was  near. 

"Won't  yon  take  a  bite  with  us?"  continued 
Bobtail,  when  he  happened  to  remember  that  he 
had  not  finished  his  dinner. 

"  No  ;  I  had  my  dinner  just  before  I  came  from 
home  ;  but  I  will  go  below  with  you,"  replied 
Captain  Chinks,' following  Bobtail  into  the  cabin. 

The  skipper  and  Monkey  resumed  their  places 
at  the  table,  and  finished  the  meal.  While  he 
was  eating,  Bobtail  related  all  the  particulars  of 
the  finding  of  the  Skylark,  so  far  as  the  boat  was 
concerned,  but  prudently  repressed  all  allusion  to 
the  twenty  cases  of  brandy.  Captain  Chinks  ap- 
peared to  be  nervous  and  uneasy,  though,  as  he 
did  not  own  the  boat,  and  knew  nothing  at  all 
about  her,  Bobtail  could  not  see  why  he  should 
be  so'.  The  dishes  were  cleared  away,  washed, 
and  carefully  deposited  in  the  lockers.  The  cook- 
room  was  put  in  order,  the  cabin  floor  swept,  and 
every  article  of  furniture  put  in  its  place.  Bobtail 
seated  himself  on  the  transom,  opposite  Captain 
Chinks,  and  wondered  more  than  ever  why  he 
had  taken  so  much  trouble  to  visit  the  Skylark 
when  she  lay  so  far  from  the  town. 


122  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"What  do  you  suppose  this  boat  is  worth, 
Bobtail?"  asked  Captain  Chinks,  as  he  glanced 
forward  and  then  aft,  as  if  to  survey  the  quality 
and  capacity  of  the  yacht. 

"  I'm  sure  I  have  no  idea,"  replied  the  young 
skipper. 

"  They  asked  me  twelve  hundred  dollars  for 
one  about  this  size  in  Newport  last  year,"  added 
the  captain. 

"  That's  a  big  price  for  a  boat." 

"  But  it  was  three  hundred  dollars  less  than 
she  cost  her  owner  two  years  before.  This  don't 
look  like  an  old  boat." 

"  No ,  she's  nearly  new.  I  looked  into  the  run 
this  morning,  and  the  timbers  and  plank  are  as 
fresh  as  though  she  had  just  been  built." 

H I  reckon  she  is  a  year  or  two  old,"  added 
the  captain.  "  She  isn't  worth  less  than  a  thou- 
sand dollars,  though  you  may  buy  such  a  boat 
sometimes  for  half  that  money." 

"  Five  hundred  dollars  is  about  all  any  boat  of 
this  size  is  worth  down  here." 

"  By  the  way,  Bobtail,  did  she  have  any  sort 
of  a  cargo  in  her  when  you  picked  her  up  ?  " 
asked  Captain  Chinks,  in  a  careless   way,  as  he 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT;  123 

raised  and  lowered  the  table-leaf  in  front  of  .him, 
just  as  though  he  was  more  intent  on  ascertaining 
how  the  leaf  worked  than  in  obtaining  an  answer 
to  his  question. 

This  was  a  very  important  interrogatory  on  the 
part  of  the  visitor,  notwithstanding  the  indiffer- 
ence with  which  it  had  apparently  been  propound- 
ed ;  and  Bobtail  had  been  expecting  it.  In  spite 
of  all  the  captain  had  said,  and  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  he  had  declared  he  knew  nothing  about  the 
Skylark,  our  hero  could  not  help  connecting  his 
visitor  with  the  contraband  cargo;  perhaps  be- 
cause the  captain  was  the  only  man  in  Camden 
who  had  the  reputation  of  being  concerned  in  this 
sort  of  business. 

"  This  is  a  pleasure  craft,  and  wasn't  built  to 
carry  cargo,"  replied  Bobtail,  who  had  already 
decided  how  to  meet  the  question. 

"  That  may  be  ;  but  such  boats  do  sometimes 
carry  a  small  cargo.  For  instance,  you  could  put 
many  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  some  lands  of 
goods  in  this  cabin,"  added  the  captain,  still 
fumbling  over  the  table-leaf,  which  seemed  to  be 
an  inexplicable  mystery  to  him,  though  it  may  be 
added  in  defence  of  a  man  of  his  intelligence,  and 


124  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

a  boat-builder,  too,  that  he  always  built  keel-boats, 
while  the  Skylark  was  a  centre-board. 

"  I  dare  say  she  could  carry  a  million  dollars' 
worth  of  gold  or  diamonds,"  added  Bobtail, 
cheerfully,  for  he  felt  that  his  wily  visitor  was 
not  getting  much  ahead  of  him. 

"  Yes ;  but  she  might  carry  heavier  goods,  such 
as  cigars,  liquors,  silks,  and  things  of  that  sort,  for 
it  don't  take  a  great  lot  to  be  worth  a  thousand 
dollars.  Did  she  have  anything  of  this  kind  in 
her  when  you  picked  her  up,  Bobtail  ?  " 

"  Why  should  any  one  think  of  carrying  cigars 
and  liquors  in  such  a  craft  as  this  ?  "  asked  the 
skipper,  laughing. 

"  That  wan't  exactly  the  question.  I  say, 
Monkey,  won't  you  go  on  deck,  and  see  which 
way  the  wind  is,"  added  the  captain,  turning 
suddenly  upon  the  Darwinian,  who  was  listening 
to  the  conversation  with  his  mouth  wide  open, 
and  trying  with  all  his  might  to  discover  what 
Chinks  was  driving  at.  "I  reckon  it's  hauling 
more  to  the  southward." 

"Sartin;  I'll  see,"  replied  Monkey,  hastening 
on  deck  through  the  cook-room. 

"You  don't  answer  the  question,  Bobtail,"  said 
the  captain. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  125 

"What  makes  you  think  there  was  any  cargo 
in.her?"  demanded  the  skipper. 

"  I  didn't  say  I  thought  there  was  any ;  I  only 
asked  you  if  there  was." 

In  spite  of  Little  Bobtail's  indefinite  opinions 
in  regard  to  the  moral  turpitude  of  smuggling,  he 
had  very  decided  views  on  the  subject  of  lying. 
He  believed  in  telling  the  truth,  though,  like 
most  other  Jboys,  I  am  afraid  he  did  not  invariably 
do  so ;  but  he  always  felt  mean  and  guilty  when 
he  told  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  lie.  In  the 
present  instance  he  had  made  up  his  mind  either 
to  tell  the  truth  or  to  keep  still,  not  only  because 
it  was  wicked  to  tell  a  lie,  but  because,  in  a  smug- 
gling case  in  which  the  government  officers  might 
soon  have  a  hand,  it  might  prove  extremely  dan- 
gerous. 

"Well,  captain,  I  didn't  say  there  was  any 
cargo  in  her,"  answered  Bobtail,  cautiously. 

"  I  know  you  didn't ;  but  I  want  you  to  tell 
me  squarely  whether  there  was  or  not." 
•  "Why  do  you  want  me  to  tell  you?" 

"  No  matter  why.  I  want  you  to  tell  me  : 
that's  all." 

"  The  wind's  about  nor'-west,  Captain  Chinks," 


126  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

said   Monkey,    crawling  into   the    cabin  from  the 
cook-room.  • 

"  It  hasn't  changed,  then,"  added  the  visitor, 
vexed  at  the  return  of  the  Darwinian,  who  seated 
himself  near  Bobtail,  intent  upon  hearing  the  rest 
of  the  conversation. 

"No,  sir,  not  a  bit;  it's  been  nor'-west  all 
day,  and  I  don't  believe  its  goin'  to  change  afore 
night." 

"I  say,  Monkey,  I  want  some  fish  for  break- 
fast. If  you  will  catch  me  two  or  three,  and  dress 
them,  I'll  make  it  all  right  with  you."* 

Monkey  did  not  like  to  lose  any  of  the  conver- 
sation about  the  boat ;  but  he  reluctantly  went 
on  deck  in  the  hope  of  making  a  trifle  by  the 
job. 

"  I  want  you  to  answer  my  question  squarely, 
Bobtail,"  continued  Captain  Chinks,  returning 
vigorously  to  the  charge,  so  vigorously  that  the 
skipper  was  almost  confirmed  in  his  suspicion 
connecting  his  visitor  with  the  contraband  cargo. 

"I  don't  say  there  was  or  was  not  any  cargo 
in  her,"  replied  Bobtail. 

"But  I  want  you  to  say,"  persisted  the  cap- 
tain,  sharply  and  sternly. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  127 

"  Do  you  own  this  yacht,  Captain  Chinks  ?  " 

"  I  don't  say  whether  I  own  her  or  not." 

•'  And  I  don't  say  whether  there  was  any  cargo 
in  her  or  not." 

"What  do  you  mean,  Bobtail?" 

"  That  depends  upon  what  you  mean,  Captain 
Chinks." 

"I  don't  understand  you,  Bobtail,"  said  the 
visitor,  struggling  to  suppress  his  anger. 

"  That's  just  my  trouble  ;  I  don't  understand 
you,"  laughed  the  skipper.  "I  reckon  we  don't 
understand  each  other  at  all." 

"  I  asked  you  a  question,  Bobtail,  and  I  want 
an  answer,"  added  the  captain,  bringing  his  fist 
down  upon  the  table-leaf,  whose  mysterious  mech- 
anism he  had  by  this  time  fully  mastered. 

"  I  asked  you  a  question,  Captain  Chinks,  and 
I  want  an  answer,"   replied  Bobtail. 

"  I  don't  want  any  of  your  impudence,  and  I 
won't  take  any  of  it." 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  be  impudent,  sir." 

"But  you  talk  to  me  just  as  though  I  was  a 
boy  like  yourself.     Now,  answer  my  question." 

"I  hope  you  will  excuse  me,  sir,  when  I  say 
I  can't  answer  it.     I  mean  to  be  respectful,  sir." 


128  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

"You  can  answer  it,   Bobtail." 

"  I  mean  that,  for  certain  reasons,  I  must  de- 
cline to  answer  it." 

"  You  must,   eh  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"I  didn't  think  this  of  you,  Bobtail.  This 
morning  I  got  you  out  of  a  bad  scrape.  If  I 
hadn't  done  so,  you  would  have  been  taken  up 
for  stealing  that  letter,  which  contained  five  hun- 
dred dollars.  Now,  you  go  back  on  me  the  same 
day,"  added  the  captain,  more  gently. 

"  I  don't  go  back  on  you,  sir.  If  you  own  this 
boat,  I'll  tell  you  all  I  know  about  her." 

"I  don't  say  that  I  own  her." 

"I  know  you  don't  say  so;  and  for  that  reason 
I  can't  say  anything  more  about  her.  You  only 
told  the  truth  about  the  letter." 

"  But  I  might  have  held  my  tongue,  and  I'm 
sorry  now  I  didn't." 

After  this  speech,  Little  Bobtail  had  no  doubt 
that  Captain  Chinks  was  a  bad  man/  and  he  felt 
the  necessity  of  extreme  caution  in  dealing  with 
him. 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  could  keep  still  when 
Squire  Gilfilian  asked  you  the  question,"  added 
Bobtail,  in  his  simplicity. 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  129 

"  If  I  had  done  by  you  as  you  are  doing  by  me 
when  I  ask  you  a  question,  I  should  have  kept 
still,  as  you  do." 

"But  I  don't  want  to  get  any  one  into  a 
scrape,"  pleaded  the  skipper. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  I  only  ask  you 
to  tell  the  truth,  as  I  did  for  you  this  morning," 
said  the  captain,  in  a  coaxing  tone. 

"  Squire  Gilfilian  owned  that  letter,  and  he  had 
a  right  to  ask  about  it.  If  you  say  you  own  this 
boat,  I  shall  feel  that  I  am  perfectly  safe  in  an- 
swering your  questions." 

"  Perfectly  safe  !  Then  of  course  there  was  a 
cargo  in  her,"  added  the  visitor. 

"  I  don't  say  there  was.  Have  you  lost  a 
cargo,   Captain  Chinks  ?  " 

The  captain  mused.  To  say  that  he  had  lost  a 
cargo  would  be  to  acknowledge  that  he  was  a 
smuggler,  and  he  could  not  trust  the  secret  to 
a  boy  like  Little  Bobtail,  who  had  the  reputation 
of  being  an  honest  and  truthful  boy.  If  called 
upon  to  give  evidence,  the  boy  would  tell  the 
whole  truth.  He  would  rather*  lose  both  the  cargo 
and  the  boat  than  be  convicted  of  smuggling. 

"  If  there  was  no  cargo  in  her,  you  would  say 
9 


130  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OK 

so,  Bobtail ;  so  I  have  no  doubt  there  was  a  cargo 
in  her,"  continued  Captain  Chinks,  after  a  silence 
of  a  few  moments.  "  I  take  it  for  granted  there 
was  some  sort  of  goods  in  her." 

"  What   makes  you  think  so,   sir  ?  " 

"  I  have  a  notion  of  my  own  on  that  subject. 
If  I'm  not  greatly  mistaken,  I  saw  this  boat  down 
to  Bar  Harbor.  My  idea  is,  that  she  went  out  to 
sea  somewhere,  and  took  a  lot  of  goods  from  some 
fishing  vessel,  and  tried  to  run  them  up  to  Cam- 
den, or  some  other  port.  I  don't  say  it  is  so,  but 
it  might  be.  Very  likely  some  of  those  custom- 
house officers  got  wind  of  the  affair,  and  were  on 
the  lookout  for  the  boat.  Very  likely  the  men  in 
charge  of  her  abandoned  her,  and  cleared  out  to 
save  themselves." 

"  I  wonder  if  they  went  over  to  Camden  in  the 
Islesboro'  packet  this  morning,"  suggested  Bob- 
tail, innocently. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  you  young  villain ! " 
cried  Captain  Chinks,  springing  forward  over  the 
table,  and  seizing  the  skipper  by  the  throat. 
"  Do  you  mean  to  say  I'm  one  of  them?" 

"  Let  me  alone  !  "  yelled  Bobtail,  struggling  to 
shake  off  the  hard  gripe  of  the  visitor. 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  131 

Our  hero  had  a'  hard  fist,  if  it  was  a  small  one, 
and  he  used  it  vigorously  upon  the  head  and  face 
of  his  assailant.  He  pounded  so  hard  that  the 
captain,  holding  him  at  a  disadvantage  across  the 
table  and  centre-board,  was  compelled  to  release 
his  hold. 

"  I  am  not  to  be  trifled  with,"  gasped  Captain 
Chinks,  panting  from  his  exertions,  and  smarting 
from  the  heavy  blows  which  Bobtail  had  inflicted 
upon  his  face. 

"Nor  I,  either!"  yelled  the  skipper,  seizing  a 
spare  tiller  which  lay  on  the  transom.  "  If  you 
put  your  finger  on  me  again,  I'll  break  your 
head!" 

"What's  the  row?"  shouted  Monkey,  rushing 
down  into  the  cabin,  his  round  eyes  distended  to 
their  utmost. 

"I  don't  let  anybody  take  me  by  the  throat," 
replied  Bobtail,  shaking  his  head,  and  adjusting 
his  shirt  collar  at  the  same  time. 

"It's  all  right  now,  Monkey ,  go  and  catch 
your  fish,"  added  Captain  Chinks,  mildly,  feeling 
that  his  wrath  had  got  the  better  of  him,  and  in- 
duced him  to  commit  an  imprudent  act. 

"  It  won't  be  all  right  if  you  put  your  hand 


132  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

on  me  again,"  said  Bobtail,  still  holding  the  spare 
tiller  in  his  hand. 

"  You  knew  that  I  came  over  in  the  Islesboro' 
packet  this  morning." 

"  I  wasn't  thinking  of  you  when  I  spoke,"  mut- 
tered Bobtail,  who  for  the  first  time  saw  the  force 
of  the  suggestion  he  had  made. 

"  I  was  only  supposing  a  case,"  said  the  captain. 

"  What?  when  you  caught  me  by  the  throat  ?  I 
don't  want  you  to  suppose  any  more  cases,  then." 

"  I  won't,  Bobtail.  Perhaps  the  men  had  run 
the  boat,  ashore,  and  were  looking  for  a  place  to 
hide  the  goods,  when  the  wind  blew  her  off,  and 
sent  her  adrift." 

"  Eerhaps  it  was  so  ;  I  don't  know,"  answered 
the  skipper,  coldly. 

"  If  she  had  a  cargo  in  her,  what  have  you  done 
with  it?" 

"  I  didn't  say  she  had  any  cargo,  and  I'm  not 
going  to  say  anything  more  about  it  till  the  owner 
claims  the  boat.     That's  the  end  of  it." 

Little  Bobtail  rose  from  the  transom,  and  walked 
towards  the  companion-way.  Captain  Chinks 
looked  very  savage.  He  was  evidently  in  a  di- 
lemma, from  which  he  could  not  extricate  himself. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  133 

"  One  minute  more,  my  lad,"  called  the  cap- 
tain. "  I  may  possibly  come  across  the  person 
who  lost  this  boat." 

"  If  you  do,  send  him  to  me,  and  he  shall  have 
his  boat,  and  —  and  —  everything  that  belongs  to 
her,"  replied  Bobtail,  who  was  still  full  of  wrath 
towards  his  late  assailant. 

"  But,  you  see,  if  she  had  any  smuggled  goods 
on  board  of  her — " 

"I  didn't  say  she  had." 

"  You  won't  understand  me  !  I  say  if  she  had. 
Now,  perhaps  I  can  make  a  trade  with  the  owner 
for  you." 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  make  any  trade  for  me. 
Send  him  to  me,  and  he  shall  have  his  boat. 
That's  all." 

44  But  he  will  be  afraid  to  expose  himself. 
Now,  suppose  he  should  offer  to  let  you  keep  the 
boat,  if  you  would  give  up  the  goods,  if  you  found 
any  goods  in  her.  If  I  should  happen  to  find 
him,  or  to  hear  of  him,  shall  I  tell  him  you  will 
make  this  sort  of  a  trade  with  him?" 

"  No  !  Tell  him  he  can  have  his  boat  and 
everything  that  belongs  to  her.  I've  learned  more 
about  smugglers  to-day  than  I  ever  knew  before, 


134  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

and  I  wouldn't  touch  one  .with  a  ten-foot  pole  ; 
and  I  wouldn't  make  a  trade  with  him  to  cheat 
the  government.  I  don't  want  to  talk  any  more 
about  it.     I've  got  a  sore  throat  now." 

Having  thus  delivered  himself,  Bobtail  went  on 
deck,  and  ordered  the  crew  to  help  him  get  up 
the  anchor.  In  a  few  minutes .  the  Skylark  was 
headed  towards  the  town.  Captain  Chinks  re- 
mained in  the  cabin,  full  of  wrath  and  disappoint- 
ment. 


THE  WEECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  135 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  CHANCE  FOR  BUSINESS. 

POSSIBLY,  if  Captain  Chinks  had  not  resorted 
to  violent  argument  in  carrying  his  point,  he 
might  have  succeeded  better.  As  Little  Bobtail 
sat  at  the  helm  of  the  Skylark,  he  thought  of  the 
proposition  which  the  captain  had  made  to  him. 
It  simply  meant  that,  if  he  would  give  up  the 
cases  of  brandy,  he  might  keep  the  boat.  It  was 
a  very  tempting  offer,  and  if  he  had  not  been 
smarting  under  the  double  injury  to  his  throat  and 
his  feelings,  inflicted  by  his  visitor,  he  might  have 
considered  it.  As  it  was,  his  only  impulse  was  to 
have  nothing  further  to  do  with  such  a  bad  man,  a 
man  who  could  be  sorry  that  he  had  spoken  the 
simple  truth,  and  thus  saved  him  from  arrest  for 
purloining  the  valuable  letter. 

Though  Captain  Chinks  had  resolutely  denied 
the  ownership  of  the  Skylark,  and  all  knowledge 


136  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

of  her  cargo,  Little  Bobtail  could  not  help  believ- 
ing that  the  captain  was  the  owner  of  both.  He 
began  to  think  that  he  had  not  acted  wisely  in 
removing  the  cargo  to  the  garret  of  the  cottage. 
His  interview  with  the  "  gentleman  of  doubtful 
reputation  "  convinced  him  that  it  was  dangerous 
for  him  to  have  anything  to  do  with  such  men. 
He  wished  that  he  had  handed  both  boat  and  cargo 
over  to  the  deputy  collector  of  the  port.  Perhaps 
it  was  not  too  late  to  do  so  now. 

The  wind  was  north-west,  and  the  skipper  had 
to  beat  up  the  harbor.  As  the  yacht  approached 
the  wharf  near  the  fish  market,  Captain  Chinks 
came  on  deck.  He  seated  himself  on  the  trunk 
of  the  cabin,  and  seemed  to  be-  very  much  dis- 
turbed. Occasionally  he  cast  a  glance  at  Bobtail, 
as  though  he  wanted  to  say  something  more  to 
him.  The  bow  of  the  boat  was  run  up  to  the 
wharf,  and  Monkey  was  directed  to  "  catch  a 
turn"  with  the  warp  line  on  a  post,  which  he 
did,  and  the  skipper  waited  for  his  dangerous 
passenger  to  disembark. 

"  Well,  Bobtail,  have  you  thought  over  what  I 
said  to  you?"  said  Captain  Chinks,  as  he  rose 
from  his  seat. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  137 

"  I  have  thought  it  over,  but  —  " 

"  This  is  a  fine  boat,  and  if  you  will  only  give  up 
the  cargo,  you  will  own  her,  for  nobody  will  ever 
claim  her,"  interrupted  the  passenger. 

"  I  haven't  said  there  was,  any  cargo  in  her," 
added  Bobtail.  "  You  seem  to  know  all  about  it. 
If  you  claim  —  " 

"  I  don't  claim  anything,"  protested  the  captain, 
zealously. 

"  Then  it's  no  use  to  say  anything  more  about 
her.  I'm  not  going  to  get  myself  into  any  scrape, 
and  I  won't  make  any  trade  of  any  kind." 

"  You  are  making  a  mistake,  Bobtail.  In  my 
opinion,  there's  something  about  this  business  that 
don't  appear  on  the  face  of  it." 

"That's  just  my  idea." 

"  I  don't  know  but  you  can  make  folks  believe 
that  you  picked  up  this  boat,  but  I  don't  think 
you  can,"  added  the  captain,  with  his  teeth  set, 
and  with  difficulty  keeping  down  his  anger. 

"  It  don't  make  any  difference  to  me  whether 
they  believe  it  or  not,"  replied  Bobtail.  "  That's 
the  truth." 

"  You'll  find  it  will  make  a  difference  to  you," 
said  the  captain,  as  he  stepped  upon  the  wharf. 


138  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB, 

"  Didn't  you  go  back  to  Squire  Gilfilian's  office, 
after  you  left  the  letter  there  ?  " 

"  No,  I  didn't." 

"  I'm  not  sure  of  that,"  replied  Captain  Chinks, 
shaking  his  head  in  a  threatening  manner.  "  You 
overtook  me  down  by  the  lime-kiln ;  so  you  got 
behind  me  somehow  or  other." 

Captain  Chinks  went  off  muttering  and  shaking 
his  head,  and  Bobtail  could  not  imagine  what  he 
meant.  So  far  as  the  lost  letter  was  concerned,  he 
felt  that  he  had  done  his  whole  duty,  and  he  was  not 
disposed  to  worry  about  it ;  he  wished  his  record 
in  regard  to  the  boxes  was  as  clean. 

"Cast  off,  Monkey,"  said  he;  and  putting  the 
Skylark  about,  he  ran  down  to  the  deep  water  off 
the  Portland  Pier,  where  he  anchored  her. 

Monkey's  old  dory  had  been  towing  astern 
during  the  trip,  and  after  putting  everything  in 
order  on  board  of  the  yacht,  the  two  boys  went  on 
shore.  Bobtail  hastened  to  the  cottage,  hoping  to 
find  his  mother  there,  for  he  wanted  to  tell  her  all 
about  the  situation,  and  obtain  her  advice.  She 
had  not  yet  returned.  Ezekiel  was  just  coming 
out  of  his  spree,  for  he  had  drank  all  his  liquor. 
He  was  ugly  as  sin  itself,  and  began  to  abuse  the 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  139 

boy  again  for  "  destroying  his  property."  It  was 
not  comfortable  to  stay  in  the  house  under  such 
circumstances,  and  Little  Bobtail  walked  up  to  the 
village.  The  Bay  View  House  was  at  this  time 
full  of  guests  —  people  from  other  parts  of  Maine 
and  elsewhere,  spending  a  few  days  or  a  few  weeks 
at  the  sea-shore.  Camden  has  lakes,  and  moun- 
tains, and  delightful  drives,  in  addition  to  the 
attractions  of  the  sea,  and  people  who  went  there 
once  were  very  likely  to  go  there  again.  Bobtail 
walked  up  to  the  hotel,  for  the  stage  from  Rocls> 
land,  by  which  his  mother  would  return,  stopped 
there. 

"What  boat's  that  you  have,  Bobtail?"  asked 
Mr.  Philbrook,  the  landlord  of  the  hotel. 

"  The  Skylark." 

"  They  say  you  picked  her  up." 

"  Yes ;  I  got  blown  off  yesterday,  and  I  found 
her  adrift  near  Blank  Island." 

"  I  see  you  are  using-  her.  The^e  is  a  party 
here  from  Augusta  that  want  a  nice  boat  for  to- 
morrow," added  the  landlord.  "  Can't  you  take 
them  out?" 

"I  don't  know;  the  owner  of  the  boat  may 
claim  her." 


140  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

"But  you  ought  to  have  the  use  of  her  for 
taking  care  of  her,  and  you  can  make  six  or  eight 
dollars  a  day  with  her,  just  as  well  as  not." 

"  She  isn't  my  boat,  and  I  don't  know's  I  ought 
to  let  her ;  but  I  will  see,  and  let  you  know  in  the 
morning,"  replied  Bobtail,  as  the  Rockland  stage 
drove  up  to  the  door. 

Mrs.  Taylor  was  one  of  the  passengers,  and  her 
son  assisted  her  to  alight.  She  wanted  to  know 
how  her  husband  was,  and  Bobtail  gave  her  the 
information.  As  they  walked  towards  the  cottage 
he  told  her  all  about  the  Skylark,  and  her  sus- 
picious cargo.  Of  course  his  mother  was  aston- 
ished; but  fortunately  her  views  in  regard  to 
smuggling  were  more  clearly  defined  than  Bob- 
tail's, and  she  gave  him  excellent  advice.  She 
declared  that  she  could  not  sleep  a  wink  with  all 
those  boxes  in  the  house. 

"  You  must  go  to  Squire  Simonton  right  off,  tell 
him  all  about  it,  and  let  him  take  them  away," 
said  she,  warmly.  "  Why,  we  are  liable  to  be  sent 
to  prison ! " 

"  All  right,  mother ;  I  will  do  just  as  you  say," 
replied  Bobtail. 

"  Besides,  Robert,  if  your  father  should  find  the 


THE  WRECK  OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  141 

boxes,  you  know  what  he  would  do,"  added  Mrs. 
Taylor. 

"  I  will  attend  to  the  matter  right  off,  mother." 

They  reached  the  cottage,  and  after  Bobtail  had 
carried  his  mother's  carpet-bag  into  the  house,  he 
hastened  to  find  Squire  Simonton,  who  was  the 
deputy  collector  of  the  port.  On  Ms  way  up  the 
street,  he  met  this  gentleman,  with  another,  whom 
he  had  often  seen  at  the  hotel. 

"We  want  to  see  that  boat  you  picked  up, 
Little  Bobtail,"  said  Squire  Simonton,  with  the 
pleasant  smile  which  his  face  always  wore. 

"  I  was  just  going  up  to  see  you  about  her," 
replied  Bobtail.  "  I  want  to  ask  you  what  I  shall 
do  with  her." 

44 1  don't  know  that  you  can  do  anything  with 
her.  Perhaps  you  had  better  advertise  her  in  the 
Camden  and  Rockland  papers,"  replied  the  squire. 

Bobtail  did  not  like  to  say  anything  about  the 
boxes  before  the  other  gentleman  ;  so  he  did  not 
allude  to  them.  At  the  steamboat  wharf  he  bor- 
rowed a  small  boat,  and .  conveyed  them  on  board 
of  the  Skylark. 

"She  is  a  fine  boat  —  isn't  she,  Hines?"  said 
the  deputy  collector,  as  they  stepped  into  the 
standing-room . 


142  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

Mr.  Hines  agreed  that  slie  was  a  fine  boat ;  and 
then  he  commented  upon  her  build,  rig,  and 
accommodations,  as  one  who  was  perfectly  familiar 
with  boats  and  boating.  He  looked  her  over  with 
a  critical  eye,  and  then  expressed  a  desire  to  have 
a  little  sail  in  her,  which  the  squire  seconded  ;  and 
Bobtail  was  always  ready  for  a  sail.  In  a  few 
moments  they  were  under  way,  with  Mr.  Hines 
at  the  helm.  As  they  sailed  down  the  bay  towards 
Rockland,  Bobtail  related  the  whole  story  of  the 
finding  of  the  Skylark,  and  both  the  gentlemen 
suggested  various  theories  in  regard  to  her  being 
adrift ;  but  the  hero  of  the  adventure  said  nothing 
about  the  contraband  boxes.  He  did  not  know  that 
it  was  proper  to  do  so  before  Mr.  Hines,  though  he 
was  a  jolly,  good-natured  gentleman. 

"  You  didn't  look  into  the  cook-room  - — did  you, 
Squire  Simonton  ?  "  asked  Bobtail,  who  was  very 
anxious  to  tell  the  rest  of  the  story. 

"  I  did  not,"  replied  the  deputy  collector.  "  I 
will  do  so  now." 

Bobtail  conducted  him  through  the  cabin,  which 
was  rather  low  for  a  gentleman  of  his  eminent 
dignity,  to  the  cook-room,  where  they  seated  them- 
selves on  the  lockers. 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  14-j 

"I  should  want' a  little  more  room  in  my  yacht," 
laughed  the  squire,  as  he  tried  to  put  on  his  hat, 
which  the  height  of  the  apartment  would  not 
permit. 

-  "  I  didn't  tell  you  but  half  the  story  on  deck, 
sir,"  said  Bobtail.  "I  didn't  like  to  speak  out 
before  Mr.  Hines ;  but  you  are  the  deputy 
collector." 

"And  Mr.  Hines  is  a  custom-house  officer," 
added  Mr.  Simonton. 

"  O,  is  he  ?  I  didn't  know  it.  Well,  sir,  I  think 
there's  something  wrong  about  this  boat,  and  I 
want  to  tell  you  the  rest  of  the  story." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  something  wrong, 
Bobtail?" 

"  In  the  smuggling  line." 

"  Then  I  think  we  had  better  let  Mr.  Hines 
hear  the  story,  for  it  is  part  of  his  duty  to  look  up 
cases  of  this  kind,"  replied  Squire  Simonton,  as  he 
rose  from  his  seat,  and  bumped  his  head  against  a 
deck-beam. 

When  they  were  seated  on  the  cork  cushions  of 
the  standing-room,  the  deputy  collector  intimated 
that  Little  Bobtail  had  something  to  say,  and  the 
boy  rose  to  explain. 


144  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

44  When  I  picked  this  boat  up,  her  cabin  was 
half  full  of  boxes,"  said  he. 

"  Cigars  ?  "  said  Mr.  Hines. 

"  No,  sir ,  I  don't  know's  I  had  any  business  to 
open  one  of  the  boxes,  but  I  did.  It  was  full  of 
bottles,"  added  Bobtail. 

"  Brandy  ?  "  said  the  inspector. 

"  The  bottles  were  labelled  '  James  Hennessy 
&  Co.  — Cognac.' " 

"  Just  so ;  that's  brandy.  How  many  were 
there  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Hines. 

44  Twenty  boxes ,  and  each  box  contained  two 
dozen.     The  bottles  were  in  kind  of  straw  casing." 

"  I  know,"  nodded  the  inspector.  "  What  have 
you  done  with  them  ?  " 

44 1  didn't  know  what  to  do  with  them.  I  meant 
to  be  on  the  safe  side ;  so  I  hid  them  in  my  father's 
garret." 

44  That's  a  bad  place  for  them,"  said  Squire 
Simonton,  who  was  an  earnest  and  consistent 
temperance  man,  and  had  labored  diligently  to 
reform  Ezekiel  Taylor. 

44  My  father  don't  know  anything  at  all  about 
the  matter." 

44  We  must  get  them  out  of  his  way  at  once.     I 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  145 

don't  know  but  it  would  have  been  just  as  well  if 
you  had  emptied  all  the  bottles  into  the  bay," 
laughed  the  deputy  collector. 

44 1  thought  of  that,  but  I  didn't  think  the  fishes 
would  like  it." 

44  Of  course  this  brandy  is  smuggled,"  added 
Mr.  Hines.  44  Don't  Captain  Chinks  know  any- 
thing about  it?" 

Bobtail  related  the  particulars  of  his  interview 
with  the  44  gentleman  of  doubtful  reputation." 

44  But  the  captain  don't  claim  the  boat  ?  "  said 
Squire  Simonton. 

44  He  says  she  don't  belong  to  him,  and  he  knows 
nothing  about  the  cargo." 

The  two  custom-house  officials  discussed  the  case 
at  considerable  length.  As  no  one  but  Bobtail 
and  his  mother  knew  anything  about  the  boxes,  it 
was  thought  best  to  keep  all  knowledge  of  them 
from  the  public.  The  officers,  in  tracing  out  the 
guilty  parties,  could  work  better  in  the  dark  than 
in  the  light.  The  following  out  of  this  case  might 
expose  a  dozen  others.  Captain  Chinks  was  very 
sly,  and  what  was  now  suspected  might  be  ulti- 
mately proved.  The  brandy  must  be  seized,  and 
removed  to  a  safe  place. 
10 


146  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  But  what  shall  be  done  with  the  yacht,"  asked 
Little  Bobtail. 

"  Nothing  at  present,"  replied  Mr.  Hines.  "  If 
we  seize  her,  the  game  will  be  up  at  once.  You 
may  keep  her  and  use  her,  Bobtail.  I  will  appoint 
you  her  keeper,  but  you  must  not  let  any  one  steal 
her.  The  rascals  may  go  on  board  of  her  at  night, 
and  sail  her  out  of  the  harbor." 

"  O,  I  will  sleep  on  board  of  her  every  night," 
replied  Bobtail,  delighted  with  the  decision  of  the 
inspector. 

"  If  any  one  claims  her,  let  me  know  at  once, 
and  don't  give  her  up  without  an  order  from  me  or 
Mr.  Simonton." 

"  I  will  not." 

The  Skylark  returned  to  her  anchorage,  and  the 
gentlemen  were  landed  on  the  wharf.  Bobtail 
went  home.  An  arrangement  had  been  made  for 
the  removal  of  the  boxes,  but  the  presence  of 
Ezekiel  Taylor  seemed  to  interfere  with  its  execu- 
tion. He  was  at  home,  sullen  and  ugly,  and 
nothing  could  be  done  while  he  was  in  the  house. 
But  after  supper  he  went  out,  shaking  in  every 
fibre  of  his  frame,  and  hankering  for  a  dram  to 
quiet  his  nerves. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  147 

After  dark,  Bobtail  and  his  mother  brought  the 
boxes  from  their  hiding-place,  and  put  them  behind 
a  row  of  currant  bushes,  in  the  garden.  Having 
informed  the  deputy  collector  where  he  could  find 
them,  he  went  on  board  of  the  yacht  to  sleep. 
After  midnight  the  boxes  were  removed  to  the 
storehouse.  No  one  was  the  wiser,  and  Bobtail 
was  glad  to  get  them  off  his  hands. 

No  one  attempted  to  steal  the  yacht  that  night, 
and  the  next  morning  Little  Bobtail  informed  the 
landlord  of  the  Bay  View  House  that  the  Skylark 
was  at  the  service  of  the  party  who  desired  to  sail. 
With  Monkey  "before  the  mast,"  he  gave  entire 
satisfaction  to  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  went 
with  them.  He  placed  them  where  they  caught  an 
abundance  of  fish,  and  then  landed  them  upon 
Blank  Island,  while  he  made  a  chowder,  and  fried 
fish  and  potatoes  for  their  dinner.  The  party 
took  their  meal  in  the  cabin,  and  generously  com- 
mended the  cook.  Before  dark  he  landed  them  at 
the  wharf.  He  charged  seven  dollars  for  boat  and 
crew,  by  the  advice  of  Mr.  Hines,  which  was 
cheap  enough  for  a  yacht  of  her  size. 

"  Now,  Monkey,  you  have  worked  first  rate 
to-day,"  said  Bobtail,  when  the  party  had  gone. 
"  Of  course  I  mean  to  pay  you." 


148  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  I  don't  ask  any  pay  for-  helpin'  yon,  Bob," 
grinned  the  Darwinian. 

"  I  want  yon  every  day  when  I  have  a  job,  and 
I  shall  pay  you  a  dollar  a  day,"  added  the  skipper ; 
and  he  handed  him  the  money. 

"  A  dollar  a  day  !  "  exclaimed  Monkey,  who  had 
never  possessed  a  dollar  in  cash  of  his  own  in  his 
life. 

"  Isn't  it  enough  ?  " 

"By  gracious!  I  should  think  it  was!"  ex- 
claimed Monkey,  gazing  with  wonder  at  the  bill. 

"  Put  it  in  your  pocket  then,  and  call  it  square 
for  this  day's  work." 

Before  the  Skylark  left  the  wharf  Mr.  Philbrook 
appeared,  and  engaged  the  yacht  for  the  next  day 
for  another  party.  Bobtail  went  up  to  the  store 
at  the  head  of  the  wharf,  and  expended  a  portion 
of  his  receipts  for  coffee,  sugar,  and  other  supplies 
for  the  yacht.  It  seemed  to  him,  just  then,  that  a 
great  business  was  opening  to  him,  and  he  was 
very  anxious  to  give  satisfaction  to  those  who 
employed  him.  The  bow-line  was  cast  off,  and 
the  Skylark  dropped  down  to  her  anchorage.  The 
deck  was  washed  down,  and  everything  put  in  the 
nicest  order  for  the  next  day. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  149 

"Don't  you  think  I  ought  to  sleep  on  board 
with  you,  Bob  ? "  asked  the  Darwinian,  as  they 
pulled  to  the  landing-steps  at  the  railroad  pier. 

"  What  for  ?  "  asked  Bobtail. 

"  To  help  you  if  anything  should  happen.  You 
might  break  adrift,  or  some  vessel  might  run  into 
you,  and  then  there  would  be  work  to  do." 

"  I  should  like  your  company  very  well ;  but 
don't  your  mother  want  you  in  the  house  at 
night?" 

"  The  old  woman  don't  care  where  I  am." 

"Don't  call  your  mother  the  old  woman, 
Monkey.     If  you  do  I  can't  respect  you." 

"  Well,  I  won't,  then,"  replied  the  crew,  open- 
ing his  mouth  from  ear  to  ear  in  one  of  his 
cheerful  smiles.  u  She  calls  me  Monkey,  jest  as 
other  folks  do.  When  I  give  her  this  dollar  she'll 
be  satisfied.     Won't  she  open  her  eyes  some  !  " 

"  You  shall  take  her  another  to-morrow." 

"  I'll  come  right  back  when  I  give  it  to  her.  I 
s'pose  you'll  have  some  of  that  bacon  for  breakfast 
in  the  morning  —  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  if  you  like,"  laughed  Bobtail,  who  now 
understood  that  his  crew  wanted  to  sleep  on  board 
in  order  to  get  a  better  breakfast  than  he  would 
have  at  home. 


150  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

They  parted  at  the  cottage,  and  Bobtail  went  in 
to  see  his  mother  and  take  his  supper  with  her. 
For  some  reason  which  the  son  could  not  under- 
stand, Mrs.  Taylor  was  unusually  sad  and  moody. 
Ezekiel  was  sober,  for  a  wonder,  and  did  not  ap- 
pear to  be  so  cross  and  ugly  as  he  generally  was 
when  recovering  from  his  debauches.  Neither  of 
them  said  much,  and  Bobtail  wondered  what  had 
happened.  After  supper  he  went  out  and  split  up 
the  wood  for  the  fire,  and  did  other  chores. 

"  What  can  be  done  about  it  ?  "  he  heard  Ezekiel 
say,  as  he  paused  at  the  door,  after  he  had  done 
his  work. 

"  I  don't  know's  anything  can  be  done,"  replied 
Mrs.  Taylor,  gloomily. 

Then  there  was  a  silence,  and  Bobtail  went  in. 

"What's  the  matter,  mother?"  asked  he,  now 
satisfied  that  some  calamity  impended. 

"  I'm  afraid  we  shall  lose  the  house,  Robert," 
replied  Mrs.  Taylor. 

"  Lose  the  house  ?     How  can  you  lose  it  ?  " 

"  You  know  there's  a  mortgage  upon  it  for  five 
hundred  dollars.  Squire  Gilfilian  wants  the 
money,  and  says  he  must  sell  the  place  if  it  isn't 
paid.  He  has  been  threatening  to  do  it  for  a  good 
while,  and  to-day  he  has  foreclosed  the  mortgage." 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE   PENOBSCOT.  151 

"I've  been  all  over  town  to  get  somebody  else 
to  take  the  mortgage,"  added  Ezekiel,  "  but  I 
can't  find  nobody.  The  place  is  wuth  a  thousand 
dollars  of  any  man's  money  ;  but  business  is  dull, 
and  money's  hard,  and  I  don't  believe  'twill  bring 
more'n  the  mortgage  under  the  hammer.  I  don't 
know  what  I'm  goin'  to  do  about  it.  I  don't  see's 
I  can  help  myself." 

Probably  just  then  Ezekiel  Taylor  reproached 
himself  for  his  idle  and  dissolute  life,  and  realized 
that,  if  he  had  been  industrious,  and  had  saved  his 
money,  he  might  have  owned  the  place  with  no 
encumbrance  at  the  present  time.  It  was  about 
sunset,  and  Mrs.  Taylor  and  her  son  seated  them- 
selves on  the  front  doorstep  to  talk  over  the 
impending  calamity. 

"What  vessel  is  that?"  asked  Mrs.  Taylor,  as 
a  cloud  of  white  canvas  emerged  from  behind 
Negro  Island. 

"  It's  a  yacht !  "  exclaimed  Bobtail.  "  There's 
a  P  in  her  burgee.  It's  the  Penobscot,  of  Belfast. 
She  belongs  to  Colonel  Montague.  I  saw  her  go 
down  the  other  day.  She's  the  finest  yacht  in 
these  waters.     I  must  go  and  see  her." 

Little    Bobtail   suddenly  forgot   all    about    the 


152  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

mortgage  and  the  prospective  loss  of  the  cottage 
as  he  gazed  upon  the  white  sails  and  the  beautiful 
hull  of  the  Penobscot.  She  was  a  magnificent 
yacht,  of  about  a  hundred  tons.  She  had  created 
a  decided  sensation  in  the  bay,  and  our  young 
skipper  had  heard  glowing  accounts  of  her,  which 
made  him  anxious  to  see  her  with  his  own  eyes. 
Her  crew  were  hauling  down  her  gaff-topsails  and 
her  jib-topsail,  and  it  was  evident  that  she  intended 
to  anchor  in  the  harbor.  Her  foresail  was  lowered, 
and  then  her  jib.  As  she  lost  her  headway,  the 
anchor  went  overboard  near  where  the  Skylark  lay. 
Bobtail  began  to  move  off. 

"  I  should  like  to  see  her,  too,  Robert.  Can't 
you  take  me  out  to  her  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Taylor. 

"  Certainly,  mother;  come  along,"  replied  Little 
Bobtail ;  "  but  perhaps  they  won't  let  us  go  on 
board  of  her,  for  I  see  some  ladies  on  her  deck." 

At  the  landing-steps  they  took  a  boat,  and 
Bobtail  pulled  off  to  the  yacht. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  153 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  PENOBSCOT. 

LITTLE  BOBTAIL  could  not  help  looking 
behind  him  occasionally,  as  he  pulled  the 
boat,  to  observe  the  beautiful  proportions,  and  the 
comely,  tapering  spars  of  the  yacht.  Beside  the 
Penobscot,  even  the  Skylark  was  nowhere. 

"  Well  that's  the  finest  yacht  I  ever  saw ! " 
said  he,  lying  upon  his  oars,  when  he  was  near 
enough  to  take  in  the  whole  idea  of  the  vessel. 
"  She's  big  enough  to  go  around  the  world  in, 
too." 

"  She's  as  nice  as  anything  need  be,"  replied 
Mrs.  Taylor,  with  an  indifference  which  was  very 
provoking  to  the  young  skipper. 

She  was  looking  at  the  people  on  the  quarter- 
deck of  the  Penobscot,  rather  than  at  the  sym- 
metrical hull  and  the  graceful  spars.  There  were 
two  ladies  and  two  gentlemen.     The  old  gentle- 


154  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

man,  seated  near  the  wheel,  with  long  silver 
locks,  and  of  grave  and  dignified  mien,  was  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Montague.  His  son,  Colonel  Montague, 
who  had  commanded  a  Maine  regiment  during  a 
portion  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  was  planking 
the  deck,  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club.  He  was  quite  as  dignified  as 
his  father,  though  he  was  not  forty  yet.  His 
wife  was  the  elegant  lady  who  sat  on  a  camp-stool 
gazing  at  the  outline  of  the  ragged  mountain 
which  rises  near  the  village.  The  young  lady  of 
twelve  or  thirteen  was  Miss  Grace  Montague,  the 
daughter  of  the  colonel.  She  was  quite  tall  for 
her  age,  and  looked  very  much  like  her  mother. 
Mrs.  Taylor  was  gazing  earnestly  at  these  people. 
Little  Bobtail  swung  his  boat  about,  and  backed 
her  up  to  the  accommodation-steps.  The  sailing- 
master,  who  also  wore  the  Yacht  Club  uniform, 
walked  quietly  to  the  ladder,  shaking  his  head  to 
intimate  that  no  visitors  would  be  allowed  on 
board.  As  Bobtail,  who  was  not  good  at  taking  a 
hint,  especially  when  it  did  not  agree  with  his 
inclination,  did  not  suspend  his  movements,  the 
sailing-master  walked  down  the  steps  to  the  little 
platform. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  155 

"  We  don't  allow  any  one  to  come  on  board 
to-night,"  said  he,  shoving  off  the  boat  with  his 
foot. 

"  Is  this  Colonel  Montague's  yacht  ? "  asked 
Mrs.  Taylor. 

44  It  is." 

"  Well,  I  want  to  see  him." 

uO,  if  you  wish  to  see  the  owner,  you  can 
come  on  board." 

Just  at  that  moment  a  steward  in  a  white 
jacket  called  the  party  on  deck  to  supper.  The 
old  gentleman,  Mrs.  Montague,  and  her  daughter 
descended  the  companion-way  first.  As  the  colo- 
nel was  about  to  follow  them,  the  sailing-master 
told  him  that  the  woman  in  the  boat  wished  to 
see  him.  He  stepped  over  to  the  rail  as  Bobtail 
helped  his  mother  upon  the  platform. 

"  Do  you  wish  to  see  me,  madam  ?  "  demanded 
the  colonel,   rather  haughtily. 

"  My  son  wants  to  see  this  yacht  very  much. 
He's  very  fond  of  boats  ;  and  I  thought  I'd  make 
bold  to  ask  you  if  he  might,"  replied  Mrs.  Taylor ; 
and  Bobtail  thought  then  that  his  mother  had 
more   "  cheek "  than  he  had. 

"  You  may  come  on  board,"  replied  the  colonel, 


156  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

very  much  to  the  astonishment  of  the  young  skip- 
per, and  apparently  to  the  equal  astonishment  of 
the  sailing-master. 

Bobtail  went  forward  on  the  instant  the  permis- 
sion was  granted,  leaving  his  mother  to  follow 
at  her  leisure  ;  but  she  stood  for  a  moment  talk- 
ing with  the  colonel.  The  young  boatman  ex- 
amined the  Penobscot  in  every  part  except  the 
cabin,  which  he  was  not  permitted  to  enter  while 
the  family  were  at  supper.  It  would  take  all 
the  exclamation  marks  in  a  fount  of  type  ade- 
quately to  express  his  views  of  the  Penobscot  and 
her  appurtenances.  The  sailing-master  followed 
him  in  his  perambulations  above  and  below,  and 
when,  the  family  had  finished  their  meal,  he  con- 
ducted him  to  the  cabin,  and  permitted  him  to 
look  into  the  state-rooms.  Bobtail  had  never  seen 
anything  half  so  magnificent,  and  he  expressed  his 
delight  and  astonishment  in  the  strongest  lan- 
guage his  vocabulary  afforded. 

"Well,  Robert,  have  you  seen  enough?"  said 
his  mother,  when  he  returned  to  the  deck. 

"  I  believe  I've  seen  her  through.  I  thought 
the  Skylark  was  a  big  thing  before,  but  she's 
nothing  but  skim-milk  compared  with  this  yacht," 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  157 

replied  he.  "  If  I  had  such  a  yacht  as  this,  I 
wouldn't  go  ashore  at  all." 

"  Our  people  don't  go  on  shore  much,"  said 
the  sailing-master,  pleased  with  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  boy. 

"  I  suppose  she'll  sail  some  —  won't  she  ?  " 
added  Bobtail. 

"  She  has  logged  fifteen  knots  in  a  fresh  breeze." 

"  How  far  have  you  been  in  her  ?  " 

"  We  have  been  down  to  Eastport  and  Mount 
Desert.  We  left  Bar  Harbor  this  morning,  and 
shall  run  up  to  Belfast  to-morrow  evening.  Next 
week  we  go  to  Newport,  and  up  Long  Island 
Sound." 

"  That's  the  life  that  suits  me ! "  exclaimed 
Bobtail,  with  enthusiasm,  as  he  walked  aft  to  the 
accommodation-steps. 

Colonel  Montague  was  smoking  his  cigar,  and 
Little  Bobtail  thought  he  was  gazing  very  earnest- 
ly at  him  ;  but  when  he  returned  the  gaze,  the 
dignified  gentleman  was  looking  some  other  way. 
He  helped  his  mother  into  the  boat,  and  pulled 
her  to  the  landing-steps. 

"  Do  you  know  Colonel  Montague,  mother  ?  " 
asked  Bobtail. 


158  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  I  used  to  work  for  him  before  you  was  born," 
replied  Mrs.  Taylor,  looking  over  the  water  at 
the  Penobscot. 

"  He  didn't  seem  to  know  you,"  added  Bobtail. 

"  I  haven't  seen  him  before  for  years." 

"  I  didn't  think  he'd  let  us  go  on  board." 

"  I  knew  he   would,   if  he  recognized  me." 

"  If  he  did  recognize  you,  he  was  awful  stiff 
about  it.  He  hardly  spoke  to  you,  if  you  did 
work  for  him  before  I  was  born." 

"  That's  his  way,  Robert.  He  is  a  great  man 
now,  and  I  s'pose  he  don't  make  much  of  folks 
beneath  him.  But  he's  a  fine  man,  and  I  always 
liked  him." 

kt  He  may  be  a  fine  man,  but  he  has  a  very  awk- 
ward way  of  showing  it.  Why  didn't  he  shake 
hands  with  you,  and  look  as  though  he  had  seen 
you  before  ?  " 

"  That  isn't  his  way,  Robert ;  and  he  is  rich 
enough  to  do  just  as  he  pleases." 

"  I  don't  believe  he  is  rich  enough  to  be  hog- 
gish," added  Bobtail,  whose  impressions  of  Colonel 
Montague  were  not  altogether  favorable. 

"But  he  is  a  good  man,  and  has  a  very  kind 
heart.  He  will  do  almost  anything  for  poor 
people." 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  159 

"  I  should  like  to  sail  in  that  yacht  first  rate  ; 
but  I  would  rather  go  with  somebody  that  isn't 
so  stiff  as  Colonel  Montague.  That  sailing-master 
seems  to  be  afraid  of  him,  and  daresn't  say  his 
soul's  his  own." 

"  Did  you  expect  Colonel  Montague  to  take  off 
his  hat  to  you,  and  treat  you  like  a  nabob  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.   Taylor,  indignantly. 

"  I  didn't  expect  him  to  say  anything  to  me  ; 
but  if  you  used  to  work  for  him,  I  should  think 
he  would  have  spoken  a  civil  word  or  two  to 
you."     . 

"And  so  he  did.  He  spoke  to  me  when  you 
were  looking  at  the  vessel ;  and  he  spoke  very 
kindly  to  me,  too." 

"  He  went  below  in  two  minutes  after  you 
reached  the  deck." 

"  Well,  his  supper  was  waiting  for  him.  I  was 
only  his  servant,  and  I  don't  expect  great  folks  to 
take  much  notice  of  me ;  and  you  won't  after  you 
have  lived  to  be  half  as  old  as  I  am." 

Mrs.  Taylor  seemed  to  be  entirely  satisfied  with 
Colonel  Montague,  and  she  walked  home,  while 
her  son,  who  was  not  so  Well  satisfied  with  the 
owner  of  the  Penobscot,  went  off  to  the  Skylark, 


160"  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

where  he  was  soon  joined  by  the  Darwinian.  At 
an  early  hour  the  captain  and  the  crew  retired, 
and  doubtless  slept  very  well,  for  they  were  up 
at  sunrise  in  the  morning.  Monkey  gorged  him- 
self with  bacon  at  their  early  breakfast ;  and  long 
before  the  hour  appointed  for  the  party  to  come 
on  board,  the  Skylark  was  ready  for  their  recep- 
tion, with  mainsail  set,  flags  flying,  and  the  anchor 
hove  up  to  a  short  stay. 

Monkey  had  a  great  deal  to  say  about  the  Pe- 
nobscot, and  Bobtail  described  her  cabin,  state- 
rooms, kitchen,  and  forecastle  while  they  were 
waiting.  She  lay  only  a  cable's  length  from  the 
Skylark,  and  they  could  see  all  that  was  going 
on  upon  her  deck. 

"  That's  Colonel  Montague  getting  into  that 
boat,"  said  Bobtail,  as  the  owner  of  the  Penob- 
scot stepped  into  his  barge. 

The  boat  was  manned  by  two  sailors,  each  of 
whom  pulled  two  oars.  The  colonel  seated  him- 
self in  the  stern-sheets,  which  were  cushioned 
with  crimson  velvet,  and  took  the  tiller-lines  in 
his  hand. 

"  She's  coming  this  way,"  added  Monkey,  as 
the  barge  moved  towards  the  Skylark. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  161 

In  a  moment  she  was  alongside,  and  Colonel 
Montague,  to  the  surprise  of  the  skipper,  stepped 
on  board.  He  wondered  greatly  what  had  pro- 
cured him  the  honor  of  a  visit  from  such  a  distin- 
guished man. 

"  Good  morning,  my  lad,"  said  the  colonel,  with 
a  pleasant  smile,  which  seemed  to  belie  his  con- 
duct the   evening  before. 

"  Good  morning,   sir,"  replied  Bobtail. 

"  Good  morning,  sir,"  added  Monkey,  exhibit- 
ing all  the  teeth  in  his  head. 

Colonel  Montague  glanced  at  the  Darwinian, 
and  possibly  debated  in  his  own  mind  whether  the 
crew  of  the  Skylark  was  man  or  monkey. 

"You  have  a  fine  little  boat  here,"  added  the 
visitor. 

"  She's  a  first-rate  boat;  but  she  ain't  much  side 
of  yours,"  replied  Bobtail,  whose  impressions  in 
regard  to  the  owner  of  the  Penobscot  were  un- 
dergoing a  rapid  change.  "  She'll  sail  some,  and 
she's  good  when  it  blows." 

"  And  you  take  parties  out  in  her?  "  added  the 
visitor. 

"Yes,   sir;  I  have  one  to-day." 
11 


162  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB 

44  I'm  afraid  not,  Captain  Bobtail,"  said  the 
colonel,  with  a  smile. 

"I'm  engaged,  at  any  rate,"  added  Bobtail, 
who,  if  the  colonel  had  not  smiled,  would  have 
thought  he  was  impudent  to  doubt  his  word. 

"  You  must  thank  me  for  taking  your  party 
away  from  you.  I  found  that  some  friends  of 
mine  at  the  Bay  View  House  were  to  go  in  your 
boat  to-day;  but  I  invited  them  to  go  with  me." 

44  Well,  sir,  I  don't  thank  you  for  it,"  said 
Bobtail,  rather  pertly. 

44  Wait  a  minute,  my  lad.  They  told  me  they 
had  engaged  your  boat ;  and  I  promised  to  make 
it  all  right  with  you.  They  were  to  pay  you 
seven  dollars  for  the  clay.  Here  is  seven  dol- 
lars ; "  and  the  colonel  handed  him  this  sum. 
44 1  suppose   that  will  make  it  all  right." 

44  Yes,  sir  ;  that's  handsome,  and  I'm  very  much 
obliged  to  you,"  answered  Bobtail,  warmly;  and 
by  this  time  he  thought  that  the  owner  of  the 
Penobscot  was   a  prince. 

44  Now,  Captain  Bobtail,  if  you  would  like  to 
take  a  sail  in  the  Penobscot,  you  may  go  with  us, 
as  you  have  lost  your  job  for  the  day,"  added 
Colonel  Montague. 


THE   WRECK   OF    THE   PENOBSCOT.  163 

"  Thank  you,  sir  ;  I  should  like  to  go  first 
rate  !  "  exclaimed  Bobtail,  delighted  with  the  idea. 

"  You  may  go  on  board  with  me,"  continued 
the  colonel.    - 

"  I  will,  sir.  — Monkey,  you  will  lower  the  sail, 
and  take  care  of  the  Skylark.  Don't  let  any  one 
have  her;  and  I  will  pay  you  just  the  same  as 
yesterday." 

The  Darwinian  was  very  well  satisfied  with 
this  arrangement,  and  immediately  began  to  con- 
sider what  he  should  have  for  dinner,  since  the 
choice  was  left  with  him.  The  barge  returned 
to  the  Penobscot,  and  Bobtail  followed  her  owner 
on  deck.  Though  the  young  skipper  of  the  Sky- 
lark was  very  democratic  in  his  ideas,  he  did  not 
presume  to  take  a  place  upon  the  quarter-deck 
with  the  family,  but  went  forward  and  frater- 
nized with  the  sailors,  all  of  whom,  except  the 
mates,  were  young  men.  Presently  the  order 
was  given  to  set  the  mainsail,  and  Bobtail  took 
hold  of  the  peak-halyard  to  lend  a  hand.  He 
worked  well,  and  by  his  activity  won  the  favor 
of  his  new  companions.  He  did  his  full  share 
of  all  the  work,  because  he  was  not  fond  of  idle- 
ness. The  party  came  on  board,  and  the  order 
was  given  to  get  under  way. 


164  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB, 

"  Clear  away  the  jib  and  flying-jib,"  said  the 
sailing-master. 

Bobtail  ran  out  on  the  bowsprit,  and,  dropping 
down  upon  the  foot-rope,  was  at  the  outer  end 
of  the  flying-jib  boom  in  an  instant,  clearing 
away  the  sail. 

"  How  smart  you  are !  "  said  Miss  Grace  Mon- 
tague, who  was  standing  with  another  young 
lady  of  the  party  near  the  foremast,  when  he 
returned  to  the  deck. 

Little  Bobtail  blushed  like  a  girl,  for  he  was 
not  accustomed  to  talking  with  such  nice  young 
ladies. 

"  Thank  you,  miss ;  but  it  don't  take  more 
than  half  a  day  to  loose  a  flying-jib,"  he  replied. 

"But  aren't  you  afraid  of  falling  into  the 
water  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  O,  no.  I'm  used  to  vessels.  I  sail  the  Sky- 
lark, which  you  see  there,"  replied  Bobtail,  point- 
ing to  the  little  yacht. 

"  That's  the  boat  we  were  going  in,"  added 
the  other  young  lady.  "  Then  you  are  Captain 
Bobtail?" 

"  Folks  call  me  Little  Bobtail ;  but  I'm  not 
captain,"  answered  the  young  skipper,  blushing 
again. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  165 

"  Run  up  the  jib  !  "  shouted  the  sailing-master. 

Bobtail  sprang  to  the  halyard,  ungallantly  turn- 
ing his  back  to  the  young  ladies.  They  looked 
at  the  short  skirts  of  his  coat,  and  he  heard  a 
silvery  laugh,  as  he  took  in  the  slack  of  the  rope. 
Miss  Montague  and  Miss  Walker  were  very  much 
amused  when  they  discovered  the  origin  of  his 
name. 

The  wind  was  fresh  ;  the  Penobscot  went  off 
like  "  a  thing  of  life,"  and  Bobtail  enjoyed  the 
sail  exceedingly.  She  ran  down  as  far  as  Owl's 
Head,  and  then  stood  over  towards  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  bay.  At  one  of  the  best  places  she. 
lay  to,  and  the  party  caught  cod  and  haddock  till 
they  were  tired  of  the  sport,  and  then  the  yacht 
anchored  under  the  lee  of  an  island.  The  day 
was  fine,  and  the  excursionists  desired  to  visit 
some  of  the  islands  in  the  vicinity.  Both  boats 
were  manned,  and  went  off  in  different  directions, 
according  to  the  fancy  of  those  on  board  of  them. 
Bobtail  was  permitted  to  occupy  the  fore-sheets 
of  the  one  which  carried  Mrs.  Montague  and  the 
two  young  ladies,  for  somehow  be  took  great 
pleasure  in  looking  at  the  latter,  and  wished  they 
would  be  a  little  more  sociable.     This  boat  went 


166  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

to  Blank  Island,  which  has  a  high  bluff  on  the 
east  side  of  it,  and  all  the  party  landed.  The 
ladies  and  gentlemen  ascended  the  steep  side  of 
the  island,  and  reached  the  cliff  which  overhangs 
the  sea. 

Bobtail  followed  them  at  a  respectful  distance, 
while  the  sailors  remained  near  the  boat.  From 
the  bluff  he  looked  down*  into  the  little  bay, 
where  he  had  anchored  the  -  Skylark  the  night  he 
picked  her  up.  The  cliff  was  about  thirty  feet 
high,  and  rose  abruptly  from  the  water,  which 
was  very  deep  at  the  foot  of  it,  so  that  a  large 
ship  might  have  floated  alongside  the  rocks.  The 
party  seated  themselves  near  the  cliff,  and  were 
observing  the  rolling  sea  beneath  them,  for  a 
south-easterly  wind  was  driving  the  huge  waves 
into  the  little  bay.  It  was  a  grand  sight,  and 
the  two  young  ladies  sat  on  the  very  edge  of  the 
precipice,  watching  the  surges  which  beat  and 
broke  against  the  wall  of  rocks. 

"  Don't  go  too  near,  Grace,"  said  Mrs.  Montague. 

"I'm  not  afraid,  mother,"  replied  the  young 
lady. 

"  These  rocks  crumble  off  sometimes,  Miss  Mon- 
tague," added  Bobtail,  timidly  approaching  the  spot. 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  167 

"  There  isn't  any  danger,"  answered  the  wilful 
miss. 

".Do  you  know  what  they  call  this  place?" 
asked  Bobtail. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't." 

"  Lover's  Leap,"  laughed  the  young  skipper. 
"  The  story  is,  that  an  Indian  girl  came  to  this 
island,  and  jumped  off  this  cliff,  because  her  father 
wouldn't  let  her  marry  the  man  she  wanted." 

"Where  did  she  come  from?"  asked  Miss 
Walker. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know." 

"  Pooh  !  I  don't  believe  any  Indian  girl  leaped 
off  these  rocks.  It  wouldn't  hurt  her  any  if  she 
did,"  sneered  Miss  Montague. 

"  But  she  would  drown  in  the  water,"  sug- 
gested Bobtail. 

"  Well,  I  don't  believe  the  story,  because  I 
think  there  are  a  thousand  just  such  cliffs,  and 
some  Indian  girl  leaped  off  every  one  of  them," 
persisted  Grace  Montague.  "  I  have  seen  ever  so 
many  ;  Lover's  Leaps '  myself,  and  the  stories 
about  them  are  nothing  but  stories." 

"Perhaps  this  story  is  true,"  said  Miss  Walker, 
who  was  perchance  more  sentimental  than  her 
companion. 


168  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB, 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it.  If  the  Indian 
girl  wanted  to  drown  herself,  why  should  she 
come  way  out  here,  when  she  could  find  deep 
water  enough  near  the  shore?" 

"  Perhaps  it  was  to  get  away  from  her  friends," 
suggested  Miss  Walker. 

"  Perhaps  it  was,  but  I  don't  believe  it.  If  I 
wanted  to  drown  myself,  I  could  find  a  better 
place  than  this,"  said  Grace,  rising,  and  standing 
on  a  loose  stone  close  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice. 
"  If  it  were  not  for  getting  wet,  I  should  just  as 
lief  jump  off  here  as  not;"  and  she  swung  her 
arms  just  as  though  she  intended  to  take  the  leap. 

"  Grace  !  Grace  !  "  shrieked  her  mother,  in  fran- 
tic tones,  as  she  saw  her  daughter  demonstrating 
in  this  dangerous  manner. 

The  young  lady  was  evidently  startled  by  the 
shrill  tones  of  her  mother.  She  swung  her  arms 
back,  as  if  she  had  lost  her  balance,  and  then 
went  head  first  over  the  cliff.  The  loose  stone 
on  which  she  stood  rolled  back,  and  it  was  plain 
now  that  her  foothold  had  been  very  insecure. 

"  O,  mercy,  mercy  !  "  screamed  Mrs.  Montague, 
as  Grace  disappeared  over  the  precipice. 

The  poor  mother  rushed  towards  the  cliff,  and 


THE  WBECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  169 

in  her  agony  would  have  thrown  herself  off,  if 
the  ladies  with  her  had  not  held  her.  Little 
Bobtail  was  appalled  as  he  saw  Grace  go  over ; 
but  he  believed  in  action  rather  than  words. 
Kicking  off  his  shoes,  and  divesting  himself  of 
his  bobtail  coat,  he  made  a  graceful  and  scientific 
dive  into  the  depths  below.  He  was  celebrated 
as  a  diver  and  swimmer,  and  really  felt  almost 
as  much  at  home  in  the  water  as  on  the  land. 
And  this  was  not  the  first  time  he  had  dived  over 
this  very  cliff.  He  had  done  so  several  times 
before .  for  sport  and  bravado,  and  therefore  we 
are  not  disposed  to  magnify  his  conduct  on  the 
present  occasion. 

Miss  Grace  Montague  had  not  added  to  her 
other  accomplishments  that  of  swimming,  which 
would  have  been  a  very  useful  attainment  to  one 
of  such  strong  aquatic  tastes  and  tendencies.  She 
could  not  swim,  and  she  did  not  attempt  to  do  so. 
She  only  floundered  and  flounced  about  in  the 
water,  struggling  madly  and  purposelessly  in  the 
waves.  Our  hero  went  deep  down  into  the 
depths  of  the  little  bay,  and  when  he  rose  he 
saw  Miss  Grace  borne  by  the  waves  towards  the 
wall  of    rocks.      If  she   was    not   drowned,    she 


170  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

would  be  mangled  to  death  against  the  rocks.  He 
struck  out  for  her,  and  in  a  moment  she  was 
in  his  arms,  or,  rather,  in  one  of  his  arms,  for  he 
threw  only  his  left  around  her,  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  confine  her  hands  in  his  grasp.  With  his 
head  above  the  water,  he  swam  towards  the  open 
bay,  fearing  the  rocks  more  than  the  waves. 

With  his  heavy  burden  he  found  it  impossible 
to  make  any  headway  against  the  waves,  which 
drove  him  fiercely  towards  the  rocks.  Grace 
struggled  violently,  and  this  added  to  the  diffi- 
culty of  saving  her.  He  buffeted  the  waves  till 
his  strength  seemed  to  be  all  gone,  and  he  feared 
that  he  should  be  obliged  to  abandon  the  poor 
girl  to  her  fate.  But  the  screams  of  Mrs.  Monta- 
gue on  the  rock  above  induced  him  to  renew  the 
struggle  with  new  vigor  ;  but  his  feet  touched 
the  wall  of  rocks  behind  him.  He  rose  and  fell 
with  the  waves,  but  still  he  held  his  charge  firmly 
under  his  arm. 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  171 


CHAPTER  X. 


GRACE  MONTAGUE. 


LITTLE  BOBTAIL  was  not  making  any 
headway  with  his  burden.  The  waves 
threw  him  back  until  his  feet  touched  the  wall  of 
rocks.  He  had  struggled  and  labored,  and  Miss 
Grace  had  struggled  and  labored,  as  if  intent  upon 
defeating  his  beneficent  efforts,  until  his  strength 
was  nearly  exhausted.  But  he  treated  himself  as 
he  did  a  boat  in  heavy  weather  ;  he  kept  his  head 
to  the  sea,  well  knowing  that  if  he  got  into  the 
trough,  the  waves  would  roll  him  over,  and  render 
him  helpless.  When  his  feet  touched  the  rock,  he 
"shoved  off"  vigorously.  Fortunately  for  him, 
the  young  lady  in  his  grasp  was  even  more  ex- 
hausted than  he  was,  and  by  this  time  she  was 
content  to  keep  reasonably  quiet.  Bobtail  only 
endeavored  to  keep  her  head  out  of  the  water, 
which  he  was  not  always  able  to  do  when  the 


172  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

great  waves  surged  in  upon  him.  He  no  longer 
attempted  to  make  any  headway,  but  by  occasion- 
ally pushing  his  feet  against  the  rocks  he  saved 
himself  from  being  disabled  against  them. 

One  of  the  gentlemen  on  the  island  had  shouted 
to  the  boatmen  to  pull  around  to  the  little  bay. 
The  sailors,  thrilled  by  the  screams  of  Mrs.  Mon- 
tague, were  straining  every  muscle,  and  their  oars 
bent  like  reeds  before  their  vigorous  strokes.  The 
other  boat,  with  Colonel  Montague  in  the  stern- 
sheets,  was  also  hastening  to  the  spot,  the  half 
frantic  father  urging  the  men  forward  with  wild 
gestures.  On  the  rock  above,  the  party  watched 
the  struggling  swimmer  as  he  bravely  supported 
his  helpless  burden. 

Two  of  the  ladies  held  the  agonized  mother,  to 
prevent  her  from  leaping  over  the  cliff.  The 
gentlemen  were  shouting  to  the  men  in  the  boat  to 
hasten  their  speed,  for  there  was  nothing  else  they 
could  do.  Bobtail  saw  the  boat,  and  heard  the 
rapid  thumps  of  the  oars  in  the  rowlocks.  The 
sight  and  the  sound  inspired  him  with  new  cour- 
age. He  had  ceased  to  struggle  any  more  than 
was  necessary  to  keep  his  distance  from  the  rock. 

"  Hold  on  a  few  seconds  more,"  shouted  one  of 
the  gentlemen  on  the  rock  above. 


THE  WEECK  OE  THE  PENOBSCOT.  173 

Bobtail  tried  to  speak,  but  he  could  not,  though 
he  felt  that  for  a  short  time  longer  he  was  master 
of  the  situation. 

"  Way  enough ! "  said  one  of  the  men  in  the 
boat.     u  Toss  him  an  oar,  Bill." 

The  stroke  oarsman  threw  one  of  his  oars  to 
Bobtail,  who  grasped  it,  and  supported  himself 
with  it. 

"  Back  her,"  said  the  man  in  the  bow,  as  he 
reached  forward,  and  seized  one  of  Miss  Grace's 
arms,  while  the  other  man  kept  the  boat  in  position 
with  his  oars. 

The  stout  sailor  lifted  the  young  lady  into  the 
boat,  and  Bobtail  laid  hold  of  the  bow  with  his 
released  hand.  A  shout  of  joy  rose  from  the  rock 
when  Grace  was  safely  drawn  into  the  boat. 

"Back  her!"  gasped  Little  Bobtail,  still  cling- 
ing to  the  bow  with  one  hand,  while  he  held  the 
oar  with  the  other. 

Grace  was  exhausted  and  panting  violently,  but 
she  was  not  insensible.  She  was  even  able  to  sit 
up ;  and  when  the  boat  had  backed  clear  of  the 
rocks,  she  was  placed  on  the  velvet  cushions  at  the 
stern.  In  another  moment  the  second  boat  dashed 
alongside,  and  Colonel  Montague  leaped  into  the 


174  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

stern-sheets,  and  folded  his  daughter  in  his  arms. 
He  wiped  the  salt  water  from  her  face,  and  did  all 
he  could  to  improve  her  situation. 

"  Pull  for  the  yacht !  "  said  he,  nervously. 

All  this  time  Bobtail  had  been  clinging  to  the 
bow  of  the  barge,  recovering  his  breath.  The 
sailor  assisted  him  into  the  boat,  and  he  dropped 
down  into  the  fore-sheets,  breathing  heavily  from 
exhaustion.  The  stroke-oarsman  picked  up  his 
oar,  and  the  two  men  pulled  with  all  their  might 
for  the  yacht,  while  the  other  boat  went  around  to 
the  landing-place  on  Blank  Island  to  bring  off  the 
party  there. 

"How  do  you  feel,  Grace?"  asked  Colonel 
Montague,  as  he  laid  his  daughter's  head  upon  his 
breast. 

"Better,  father,"  she  replied,  faintly.  "I'm 
cold." 

"  Give  way,  lively,  my  lads,"  added  the  colonel, 
to  whom  minutes  seemed  like  hours. 

When  the  barge  came  alongside  the  accommoda- 
tion-steps, Colonel  Montague  bore  Grace  in  his 
arms  to  the  deck  of  the  Penobscot. 

"  Let  me  sit  down  here  is  the  sun,  father,"  said 
she. 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  175 

"  But  you  must  remove  your  wet  clothes." 

"  Not  yet.  Let  me  rest  a  few  moments.  I  shall 
be  all  well  in  a  little  while." 

"  What's  the  matter,  Edward  ?  "  asked  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Montague,  who  had  remained  on  board  of  the 
Penobscot,  being  too  old  to  scramble  about  the 
rocks. 

"I  have  been  overboard,  grandfather,"  replied 
Grace,  with  a  faint  smile  ;  and  it  was  evident  that 
her  condition  was  rapidly  improving. 

"  Overboard,  child  !  "  exclaimed  the  old  gentle- 
man.    "  How  did  it  happen  ?  " 

"I  don't  know.  I  was  not  with  her,"  replied 
the  colonel.     "  But  where  is  that  boy?  " 

"  That  boy "  has  just  come  on  deck,  and  had 
seated  himself  in  the  waist.  He  had  recovered  his 
wind,  and  was  now  nearly  as  good  as  new.  He 
felt  that  he  had  done  a  big  thing,  and  he  wondered 
that  no  one  said  anything  to  him.  The  boat  that 
brought  him  to  the  yacht  had  gone  for  the  party 
which  had  been  left  on  the  island  ;  and  no  one  but 
the  colonel  knew  anything  about  the  part  he  had 
borne  in  the  affair.  But  he  was  not  long  neglected, 
for  the  instant  Colonel  Montague  thought  of  him 
he  hastened  to  the  waist,  and  with  tears  in  his 


176  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB 

eyes,  grasped  him  by  the  hand.  Doubtless 
he  betrayed  more  emotion  than  the  occasion 
seemed  to  warrant  —  emotion  which  was  not  all 
gratitude. 

"My  lad,  you  have  done  me  a  service  which  I 
can  never  forget,"  said  he,  wiping  the  tears  from 
his  eyes. 

"  It's  all  right,  sir.  I  feel  better  than  if  I  hadn't 
done  it,"  replied  Bobtail. 

"  But  come  aft,  and  see  Grace,"  added  the 
colonel. 

"  No,  sir,  I  think  I  won't  bother  her  now.  She 
must  feel  pretty  bad  after  the  ducking  she  got." 

Just  at  this  moment  the  barge  from  Blank 
Island  dashed  up  to  the  steps.  Mrs.  Montague 
was  a  demonstrative  woman,  and  she  had  not  even 
yet  ceased  to  scream. 

"  O,  where  is  she?  where  is  she,  Edward?" 
cried  the  poor  mother,  as  she  rose  in  the  stern  of 
the  boat. 

"Here  I  am,  mother,"  exclaimed  Grace,  hasten- 
ing to  the  rail  on  the  quarter-deck.  "  I  am  not 
drowned  or  hurt." 

Mrs.  Montague  was  assisted  up  the  steps,  and  in 
another  moment  she  was  sobbing  over  her  child  in 


THE   WRECK, OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  177 

her  arms.  While  this  scene  was  transpiring  on  the 
quarter-deck,  the  rest  of  the  part}r  went  to  Little 
Bobtail,  and  took  him  by  the  hand,  as  they  ex- 
pressed their  admiration  of  his  heroic  conduct. 

"That  wan't  anything,"  replied  Bobtail.  "I 
have  dived  off  that  rock  twenty  times  before." 

"But  Grace  would  have  drowned  if  you  hadn't 
done  it." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know.  I  suppose,  if  I  hadn't 
gone  for  her,  some  of  the  rest  of  you  would." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  one  of  them, 
shaking  his  head.  "  I  might  have  gone  into  the 
water,  but  I  couldn't  have  done  much." 

Mrs.  Montague  hurried  Grace  into  the  cabin  as 
soon  as  the  violence  of  her  emotions  had  in  a 
measure  subsided. 

"But  I  haven't  seen  Captain  Bobtail  yet,"  said 
the  daughter. 

"  You  shall  see  him  ;  but  you  must  take  off  your 
wet  clothes  first,"  replied  her  mother. 

"  Not  yet,  mother.  I  must  see  him  this  instant. 
Tell  him  to  come  down  here." 

"  I'll  go  for  him,"  said  Emily  Walker,  as  she 
rushed  up  the  companion-way. 

Perhaps  Miss  Walker  was  more  sentimental  than 
12 


178  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

Miss  Montague ;  at  any  rate,  she  flew  to  the  spot 
where  Bobtail  was  seated,  threw  her  arms  around 
his  neck,  and  actually  kissed  him  before  he  had  a 
chance  to  repel  the  assault,  if  he  desired  to  do  so. 

"  What  a  dear,  good  fellow  you  are  !  "  exclaimed 
she.  "  But'  you  must  come  right  down  into  the 
cabin  this  instant.     Grace  wants  to  see  you." 

"I'm  all  wet,  and  I  guess  I  won't  go  down 
now,"  replied  Bobtail,  blushing  like  a  red  cabbage 
in  the  dews  of  the  morning. 

"  But  you  must  come.  Grace  is  dying  to  see 
you ; "  and  Miss  Walker  took  him  by  the  arm,  and 
tugged  at  it  till  she  dragged  lrim  to  his  feet. 

"  I  don't  like  to  go  down  into  the  cabin.  I 
haven't  got  my  coat  and  shoes  yet." 

"  Never  mind  your  coat,  Mr.  Bobtail.  Grace 
won't  change  her  wet  clothes  till  she  sees  you." 

Of  course  Miss  Walker  carried  the  day,  and 
Little  Bobtail  was  dragged  into  the  cabin.  Grace 
seized  him  by  both  hands,  and  warmly  expressed 
her  gratitude.  Emily  wondered  that  she  did  not 
kiss  him.  If  he  had  saved  her,  she  would  have 
kissed  him  twenty  times.  Mrs.  Montague  pressed 
his  hand,  and  thanked  him  over  and  over  again. 
Then  Colonel  Montague  took  his  hand  again,  and 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  179 

expressed  himself  even  more  fully  than  before. 
The  Hon.  Mr.  Montague  followed  him,  and  every 
lady  and  gentleman  of  the  party  took  him  by  the 
hand,  and  said  something  exceedingly  handsome ; 
and  Bobtail  began  to  think  they  were  overdoing  it. 

"But  come,  my  lad;  you  are  in  your  wet 
clothes,  while  we  are  talking  to  you,"  interposed 
the  colonel.     "  You  must  have  a  dry  suit." 

"  Never  mind  me,  sir.  I'm  used  to  it,"  laughed 
Bobtail. 

"  You  will  catch  cold." 

"Catch  a  weasel  asleep!     I  don't  catch  cold." 

Colonel  Montague  insisted,  and  the  sailing- 
master  lent  him  a  shirt  and  a  pair  of  trousers  twice 
too  big  for  him,  and  Bobtail  put  himself  inside  of 
them.  His  bobtail  coat  and  shoes,  which  had  been 
brought  from  the  island,  were  dry,  and  he  was  in 
presentable  condition.  Grace  soon  appeared,  her 
hair  nicely  dried  and  dressed  anew,  wearing  a 
white  dress  and  a  blue  sacque.  She  looked  very 
pretty;  but  Bobtail  thought  that  Emily  Walker 
was  the  prettier  of  the  two.  By  this  time  dinner 
was  ready,  and  the  skipper  of  the  Skylark  was 
invited  to  dine  in  the  cabin.  He  did  not  exactly 
like  the  idea,  for  he  felt  that  he  was  not  sufficiently 


180  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

posted  in  the  ways  of  genteel  society  to  sit  at  the 
table  with  such  grand  people. 

"I'll  take  my  grub  with  the  hands  forward,  sir," 
said  he,  laughing.  "  I  shall  feel  more  at  home 
with  them." 

"  But  we  shall  not  feel  at  home  without  you,  my 
lad,"  replied  Colonel  Montague.  "Besides,  when 
everybody  gets  cooled  off,  we  want  to  talk  over  the 
affair  on  the  island,  for  I  haven't  even  heard  how 
Grace  happened  to  be  in  the  water." 

The  owner  of  the  Penobscot  would  not  "let 
him  up,"  as  Bobtail  expressed  it  when  he  told  his 
mother  the  story,  and  he  was  placed  at  the  table 
between  Grace  and  Emily  Walker.  Chowder  was 
served  first.  Bobtail  kept  his  "weather  eye  "  open 
to  see  how  the  rest  of  the  party  did,  and  adjusted 
his  conduct  by  theirs.  He  wondered  what  "  those 
towels  were  stuck  into  the  tumblers  for ; "  but 
when  little  Miss  Walker  unrolled  her  napkin,  and 
placed  it  in  her  lap,  and  the  gentlemen  of  the 
party  did  the  same,  he  followed  their  example. 

"  Now,  Grace,  tell  me  how  you  got  overboard," 
said  Colonel  Montague,  when  the  soup  plates  were 
removed. 

Mrs.  Montague  shuddered,  for  the  scene  was 


THE  WBECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  181 

too  terrible  to  be  recalled  with  anything  but 
anguish. 

"  Captain  Bobtail  had  just  told  Emily  and  me 
a  story  about  an  Indian  girl  who  jumped  off  that 
same  cliff;  but  I  didn't  believe  a  word  of  it," 
Grace  began.  "  I  stood  up  on  a  stone  near  the 
edge,  and  swung  my  arms,  for  I  was  thinking  just 
how  the  Indian  girl  looked,  if  she  really  did  jump 
off  that  cliff.  Just  then  mother  screamed,  and 
frightened  me.  I  started  back ;  but  the  stone  I 
was  standing  on  rolled  over,  and  threw  me 
forward,  so  that  I  went  down  into  the  water 
head  first." 

"  I  thought  the  child  was  going  to  jump  over- 
board," added  Mrs.  Montague,  with  a  strong 
tremor  passing  through  her  frame. 

The  details  of  the  affair  were  repeated,  and  then 
all  eyes  were  directed  at  Little  Bobtail,  who  was 
more  concerned  about  the  propriety  of  his  conduct 
at  the  table  than  about  his  deeds  at  Blank  Island ; 
but  probably,  if  he  had  fed  himself  with  his  knife, 
his  admiring  friends  would  cheerfxilly  have  forgiven 
him.  He  found  it  more  difficult  to  transfer  mashed 
potato  from  his  plate  to  his  mouth  with  the  silver 
fork  than  it  was  to  dive  off  that  cliff  into  the  sea. 


182  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

When  the  pastry  came  on,  it  was  absolutely 
appalling  to  think  of  eating  custard  pie  with  a 
fork,  and  he  would  rather  have  undertaken  the  feat 
of  swimming  around  Blank  Island. 

"  You  know  I  always  shovel  in  custard  pie  with 
my  knife,"  said  he,  afterwards,  in  telling  his 
mother  about  it ;  "  but  everybody  else  used  a  fork, 
and  so  I  had  to." 

But  Bobtail  magnified  the  trials  and  tribulations 
of  that  grand  dinner  in  the  cabin  of  the  Penobscot, 
for,  by  keeping  his  "  weather  eye  "  open,  he  hardly 
sinned  against  any  of  the  proprieties  of  polite 
society,  and  some  of  the  ladies  even  remarked 
how  well  he  behaved  for  a  poor  boy.  The  dinner 
was  finished  at  last,  and  "  it  was  a  tip-top  dinner, 
too,"  for  besides  chowder  and  fried  fish,  there 
were  roast  beef  and  roast  chicken,  boiled  salmon, 
puddings,  pies,  and  ice-cream.  Perhaps  Bobtail 
ate  too  much  for  strict  gentility,  but  he  excused 
himself  by  declaring  that  not  only  the  stewards, 
but  all  the  party,  "  kept  making  him  eat  more  of 
the  fixins." 

i  'When  I  got  through  that  dinner,  mother,"  said 
he,  "I  was  just  like  a  foot-ball  blown  up  for  a 
game ;  and  if   the  captain's  trousers  that  I  wore 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  186 

hadn't  been  a  mile  too  big  for  me,  I  couldn't  have 
put  myself  outside  of  half  that  feed." 

After  the  dinner,  which  Bobtail  will  remember 
as  long  as  he  lives,  the  party  went  on  deck.  Grace 
was  as  bright  and  fresh  as  ever.  She  and  Emily 
walked  up  and  down  the  deck.  The  young  skip- 
per went  forward  to  talk  with  the  crew,  for  he  did 
not  wish  them  to  think  that  he  was  putting  on 
airs  because  he  "  took  his  grub  in  the  cabin." 
The  men  congratulated  him  on  his  good  fortune, 
and  assured  him  he  had  made  a  rich  and  powerful 
friend,  and  that  he  would  get  a  pile  of  money  by 
the  operation.  Bobtail  thought  that  a  hundred 
dollars  was  "  a  pile  of  money,"  and,  if  any  one 
claimed  the  Skylark,  this  sum  would  enable  him  to 
purchase  a  better  boat  than  Prince's  old  tub. 
But  he  did  not  think  much  about  this  matter ;  in 
fact,  he  was  gazing  at  Miss  Grace  and  Miss  Emily, 
as  they  walked  so  gracefully  on  the  deck.  He  was 
not  sentimental,  romantic,  or  very  visionary ;  but 
these  two  young  ladies  were  so  pretty,  and  so 
elegant,  and  so  finely  dressed,  that  he  could  not 
help  looking  at  them  ;  besides,  they  were  as  sociable 
now  as  he  could   wish.      Bobtail  joined  them  in 


184  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

their  promenade  on  the  deck,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  privilege  with  distinguished  consideration. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  you  take  a  sail  with  me 
in  the  Skylark,"  said  he. 

"  O,  I  should  like  to  go  ever  so  much,"  replied 
Miss  Walker. 

"  And  if  you  get  overboard,  I  will  pull  you  out." 

"  I  don't  mean  to  get  overboard,  if  I  can  help 
it,"  laughed  the  little  miss,  though,  from  her  con- 
versation with  Grace,  one  would  have  thought  she 
considered  it  rather  a  nice  thing,  if  she  could  only 
be  rescued  by  a  young  gentleman. 

"  You  must  sail  up  to  Belfast,  Captain  Bobtail, 
and  come  to  our  house,"  added  Grace.  "I  have 
lots  of  things  to  show  you.  We  have  ever  so  many 
boats  ;  and  you  may  ride  my  pony." 

"  Thank  you,  Miss  Montague.  You  are  very 
kind;  but  you  know  I'm  not  one  of  the  grand 
folks,  and  I  shouldn't  know  how  to  behave  myself 
in  your  fine  parlors." 

"  Pooh !  You  behave  just  as  well  as  any  of  the 
young  men  that  come  to  our  house,"  said  Grace, 
pouting  her  lips.  "  You  are  just  as  good  as  any 
of  them,   and  a  great  deal  better  than  most  of 


THE  WBECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  18k 

them.  I  hope  you  will  come,  Captain  Bobtail ;  I 
shall  be  so  glad  to  see  you !  " 

The  order  was  given  to  get  up  the  anchor,  and 
Bobtail  sprang  to  take  a  hand  in  the  operation.  In 
a  few  moments  the  Penobscot  was  standing  over 
towards  Camden ;  and  the  hero  of  the  day  began 
to  regret  that  he  must  so  soon  lose  his  pleasant 
companions.  About  five  o'clock  she  landed  her 
passengers  at  the  Portland  Wharf,  and  Monkey 
came  off  from  the  Skylark  for  Bobtail. 

"  Little  Bobtail,  you  have  rendered  me  a  service 
to-day  which  you  can  neither  understand  nor  ap- 
preciate, and  I  shall  never  forget  it,"  said  Colonel 
Montague,  as  he  took  the  boy's  hand.  "  I  shall 
see  you  again  before  long.  I  am  going  away  in  the 
yacht  next  week  for  a  long  cruise  ;  but  we  shall 
meet  again,  and  I  hope  in  the  end  that  you  will  not 
be  sorry  for  your  noble  conduct  to-day." 

"  I'm  not  sorry  for  it,  sir.  I've  had  a  tip-top 
time  to-day,  and  I'm  much  obliged  to  you  for 
taking  me  with  you,"  replied  Bobtail,  unable  to 
comprehend  the  whole  of  the  grateful  father's 
speech. 

"  It  is  fortunate  you  were  with  us.     We  might 


186  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

have  been  weeping  over  our  lost  child,  instead  of 
rejoicing,  as  we  do  now." 

"  O,  some  other  fellow  would  have  gone  in  for 
her  if  I  hadn't." 

"  Perhaps  not ;  for  not  many  have  the  nerve  to 
dive  off  a  high  cliff  into  the  sea,  as  you  did.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  my  gratitude  to  you  is  none  the  less. 
If  you  want  a  friend,  if  you  have  any  trouble 
about  that  boat,  or  anything  else,  send  for  me,  for  I 
would  cross  the  continent  to  serve  you." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  I  don't  know  that  I  am  likely 
to  have  any  trouble  about  the  Skylark,  for  if  the 
owner  comes,  he  can  have  her." 

"  And  then  you  will  have  no  boat  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.  I  shall  be  out  of  a  boat,  sure ;  and  I 
should  like  to  live  in  one  all  the  time." 

"  If  you  lose  her  before  I  return,  write  a  letter 
to  me  at  Belfast,  and  it  will  be  forwarded  if  I  have 
gone.     Now,  good  by,  my  lad." 

The  rest  of  the  family  shook  hands  with  him 
again,  and  spoke  many  kind  words  to  him.  Bob- 
tail leaped  lightly  into  Monkey's  boat,  and  they 
t? turned  to  the  Skylark.  The  skipper  spoke  in 
glowing  terms  of  the  experience  of  the  day ;  but 
somehow  the  Darwinian  did  not  seem  to  relish  the 


THE   WRECK   OF    THE   PENOBSCOT.  187 

narrative.  He  was  nervous,  and  did  not  laugh  as 
usual ;  but  it  was  some  time  before  Bobtail's  en- 
thusiasm permitted  him  to  notice  the  change  which 
had  come  over  Ms  companion's  spirits.  They  went 
on  board  the  Skylark. 

"  Has  any  one  been  after  the  boat,  Monkey  ?  " 
asked  the  skipper. 

"No  one  after  the  boat,"  replied  the  Darwinian, 
gloomily  ;  "  but  somebody  has  been  after  you." 

"After  me?     Who?" 

Monkey  was  silent,  and  studied  the  seams  in  the 
deck. 

"  Who  has  been  after  me?" 

"  Mr.  Brooks." 

This  gentleman  was  a  deputy  sheriff;  but  his 
name  had  no  terror  to  Robert  Taylor. 

"  Say,  Bob,  don't  you  think  we  had  better  get 
under  way,  and  run  for  it?  "  added  Monkey,  his 
face  brightening  for  a  moment. 

"What  for?" 

"  Mr.  Brooks  said  he  had  a  warrant  to  take 
you  up,  and  I  s'pose  he's  on  the  lookout  for  you 
now." 

"Take  me  up!"  exclaimed  Bobtail.  "What 
for?" 


188  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

"  Something  about  a  letter  —  I  don't  know 
what." 

"  I  know,"  replied  Bobtail,  musing,  for  he  could 
not  think  how,  after  he  had  been  fully  exonerated 
from  the  charge  of  taking  that  letter,  he  should 
again  be  accused. 

The  jib  of  the  Penobscot  was  hoisted  while  he 
was  musing,  and  she  stood  away  towards  the 
Spindles  off  North-east  Point. 


THE  "WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  189 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  FIVE  HUNDRED   DOLLAR  BILL. 

LITTLE  BOBTAIL  watched  the  beautiful 
yacht  as  she  piled  on  her  "  kites  "  and  grad- 
ually increased  her  speed  in  the  light  breeze.  He 
felt  that  he  had  a  powerful  friend  on  board  of  her, 
and  he  was  tempted  to  call  in  his  aid  in  meeting 
the  difficulties  that  seemed  to  be  gathering  before 
him. 

"  Don't  you  think  we'd  better  run  for  it,  Bob  ?  " 
asked  Monkey.  "  We  can  keep  out  of  the  way  of 
any  boat  in  Camden.  We  can  run  over  among 
them  islands,  and  spend  the  summer  there  without 
being  caught." 

"  I  don't  run  away  from  anything  of  this  sort," 
replied  Bobtail,  proudly.  "  I'm  going  to  face  the 
music,  whatever  comes  of  it." 

"  But  they'll  put  you  in  jail,"  suggested  Mon- 
key, opening  his  eyes  as  wide  as  they  would  go. 


190  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  I  don't  care  if  they  do.  I  haven't  done  any- 
thing wrong,  and  I'm  not  going  to  run  away.  If 
Mr.  Brooks  wants  me,  here  I  am." 

"  There  he  comes  ;  and  Captain  Chinks  is  with 
him.  We  can  hoist  the  mainsail,  and  be  out  of  the 
way  before  they  get  here,  if  you  say  the  word," 
added  the  crew  of  the  Skylark,  nervously. 

"I  don't  cay  the  word.  I'm  all  right,  and  I'm 
ready  to  look  any  of  them  square  in  the 
face." 

"  But  what's  it  all  about,  Bob  ?  " 

"  Squire  Gilfilian  says  I  stole  a  letter  with 
money  in  it,  which  was  sent  to  him." 

"You!"  exclaimed  the  Darwinian.  "  Well,  I 
know  better' n  that  myself." 

"So  do  I,"  laughed  Bobtail,  pleased  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  his  friend. 

"  Here  they  come.  Captain  Chinks  looks  as  ugly 
as  sin  itself.  He  is  at  the  bottom  of  this  business. 
You  stay  by,  and  take  care  of  the  boat,  Monkey, 
whatever  happens  to  me.  If  any  one  attempts 
to  get  her  away  from  you,  send  for  Squire 
Simonton." 

"  I'll  stick  to  her  as  long  as  there's  a  chip  left 
of  her,  Bob  ;   but  I  don't  like  to  have  them  take 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  191 

you  out  of  her  in  this  kind  of  style,  and  send  you 
off  to  jail." 

"  You  needn't  be  concerned  about  me.  I  have 
some  strong  friends,  and  I'm  rather  sorry  I  didn't 
stop  the  Penobscot,  and  tell  Colonel  Montague 
what's  up.  I  would,  if  I  had  known  exactly  what 
was  going  to  happen." 

A  boat  with  Captain  Chinks  at  the  oars,  and  Mr. 
Brooks  in  the  stern-sheets,  came  alongside  the 
Skylark. 

"You  are  here  —  are  you?"  said  Captain 
Chinks,  with  an  ugly  look. 

"  Of  course  I'm  here,"  replied  Bobtail,  quietly. 
"I  ain't  nowhere  else." 

UI  want  you  to  go  on  shore  with  me,"  added 
the  deputy  sheriff. 

"  Monkey  says  you  want  to  take  me  up." 

"  I  don't  want  to  do  so,  but  I  must  discharge 
my  duty.  I  have  a  warrant  for  your  arrest," 
replied  Mr.  Brooks. 

"What  for?" 

"  For  stealing  a  letter  with  money  in  it." 

"  Captain  Chinks  here  knows  that  I  didn't 
do  it." 

"No,  I  don't." 


192  LITTLE    BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  You  saw  the  letter  in  Squire  Gilfilian's  office 
after  I  left." 

"  That's  so ;  but  I  can't  say  that  you  didn't  go 
back  after  I  went  off.  I  didn't  believe  you  took 
the  letter  till  the  squire  proved  it ;  and  then  I 
couldn't  help  believing  it.  I  don't  see  how  you 
can  help  believing  it  yourself." 

"  I  didn't  take  the  letter." 

"  We  will  talk  this  matter  over  at  the  squire's 
office,"  interposed  the  deputy  sheriff.  "  You  had 
better  not  say  much  about  it  here." 

"  I'm  going  to  speak  the  truth  right  straight 
through,  and  I  don't  care  who  hears  me." 

"  You  are  not  obliged  to  say  anything  to  commit 
yourself,  Bobtail.  I  want  you  to  understand  that," 
said  Mr.  Brooks,  kindly. 

"  I  shall  not  say  anything  to  commit  myself,  you 
had  better  believe,  for  I  didn't  take  the  letter." 

"  The  less  you  say  about  it,  the  better,"  added 
the  officer. 

"  Does  my  mother  know  anything  about  this 
business  ?  ' '   asked  Bobtail. 

"  I  reckon  she  knows  more  about  it  than  any- 
body else  except  yourself,"  answered  Captain 
Chinks. 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  193 

"  I  have  talked  with  your  mother  about  it,"  said 
Mr.  Brooks.  "  She  feels  very  bad,  of  course  ;  and 
she  says  she  can't  explain  the  matter  at  all." 

"  She  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  replied 
Bobtail. 

"  I  will  send  for  her  when  we  get  on  shore," 
added  the  deputy  sheriff. 

Captain  Chinks  pulled  to  one  of  the  wharves  up 
the  harbor,  where  the  party  landed,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  the  office  of  Squire  Gilfilian.  The  law- 
yer was  there,  and  so  was  the  ill-visaged  man  who 
took  care  of  the  case  of  the  bank  robbers.  Mr. 
Brooks  had  sent  a  boy  for  Mrs.  Taylor  as  soon  as 
they  landed,  and  she  and  her  husband  arrived  at 
the  office  almost  as  soon  as  Bobtail. 

"  O,  Robert,"  exclaimed  the  poor  woman,  her 
eyes  filling  with  tears,  as  she  hugged  her  boy. 

"  Don't  be  scared,  mother.  I  didn't  do  this 
thing,  and  I  shall  come  out  all  right,"  replied  Bob- 
tail.    "  Don't  fret  about  it." 

"  I  can't  help  it,  Robert.     I  wish —  " 

Mrs.  Taylor  suddenly  checked  herself, 

"  What  do  you  wish,  mother  ?  "  asked  Bobtail, 
who  thought  there  was  something  very  strange  in 
her  conduct. 

13 


194  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"I  wish  they  hadn't  arrested  you,"  added  she; 
hut  this  was  evidently  not  what  she  had  intended 
to  say. 

"So  do  I ;  but  you  needn't  be  frightened.  I 
didn't  take  the  letter,  nor  the  money." 

"  I  know  you  didn't,  Robert,  but  the  case  looks 
very  bad  against  us." 

"  I  think  so,  Mrs.  Taylor,"  said  Squire  Gilfilian, 
who  had  been  occupied  in  looking  over  some 
papers  when  the  party  entered,  and  was  now 
ready  to  give  his  attention  to  the  case.  "  I  should 
like  to  hear  what  you  have  to  say." 

"This  is  not  an  examination,"  said  the  deputy 
sheriff  to  Mrs.  Taylor  and  her  son.  "  If  you  don't 
wish  to  answer  any  questions  here,  you  needn't 
do  so.  The  case  will  come  on  to-morrow,  before 
Squire  Norwood." 

"  I  am  ready  to  answer  any  questions  that  can 
be  asked,"  said  Bobtail,  stoutly,  "  whether  it  is  an 
examination  or  not." 

"  Do  as  you  please  about  it.  If  you  want  any 
help  —  any  lawyer — I  will  send  for  one,"  added 
Mr.  Brooks. 

"  I  don't  want  any  lawyers.  I  can  tell  the 
truth  without  any  help,"  answered  Bobtail. 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  195 

"  Did  you  come  back  to  the  office  after  you  put 
that  letter  on  my  desk  ?  "  asked  the  squire. 

"  No,  sir  ;  I  did  not,"  replied  Bobtail,  squarely. 

The  lawyer  took  from  his  pocket-book  a  five 
hundred  dollar  bill,  and  spread  it  out  on  the  desk 
at  his  side. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  that  bill  before,  Robert 
Taylor  ?  "  demanded. he,  sternly. 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Think  before  you  answer." 

"  Think  !  I  don't  want  to  think.  I  never  saw 
a  five  hundred  dollar  bill  before  in  my  life," 
answered  Bobtail,  with  no  little  indignation  in  his 
tones. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  see  you  persist  so  stoutly  in  a 
lie,"  said  the  squire,  shaking  his  head,  as  he 
glanced  at  Mrs.  Taylor. 

"  It  isn't  a  lie  ;  it's  the  truth,  and  I'll  stick  to  it 
as  long  as  I  have  breath  in  my  body,"  replied 
Bobtail,  warmly. 

"  You  are  not  under  oath  now,  Robert  Taylor." 

"  I'll  say  just  the  same  under  oath,  and  before  all 
the  lawyers  and  judges  in  the  State  of  Maine." 

"  Mr.  Slip  wing,  do  you  know  this  bill?  "  added 
the  squire,  addressing   the  ill-visaged  man. 


196  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  I  do.  I  will  swear  in  any  court  that  this  is 
the  bill  I  sent  you  in  the  letter  from  Portland,"  re- 
plied the  man. 

44  You  are  very  sure  ?  " 

"  Positively  so.  I  remember  the  bank,  and  there 
are  three  things  on  the  bill  which  enable  me  to 
identify  it.  The  cashier's  pen  snapped  when  he 
wrote  his  name  on  the  left,  and  blotted  the  bill. 
The  corner  was  torn  off,  and  it  was  mended  in 
another  place  with  a  piece  of  paper  from  the  edge 
of  a  sheet  of  six-cent  postage  stamps." 

The  ill-visaged  man  spoke  confidently,  and 
whatever  his  character,  his  testimony  was  very 
clear. 

"  What  has  all  this  to  do  with  me?"  asked 
Bobtail,  who  did  not  yet  understand  the  situation. 

The  lawyer  smiled,  and  perhaps  he  thought  that 
the  boy  was  playing  his  part  extremely  well  for  a 
novice. 

"  My  testimony  will  come  in  next,"  added 
Squire  Gilfilian.  "  This  afternoon,  Mrs.  Taylor, 
who  is  the  mother  of  this  boy,  paid  me  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  for  I  had  foreclosed  the  mortgage  on 
her  husband's  house.  Now,  Mrs.  Taylor,  where 
did  you  get  the  bill?" 


THE  WEECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  197 

"  Robert  didn't  give  it  to  me,"  she  replied  ;  and 
she  seemed  to  be  very  much  troubled  and  very 
much  embarrassed ;  so  much  so,  that  her  looks  and 
actions  were  the  worst  possible  evidence  against 
her. 

"  So  you  say,  Mrs.  Taylor ;  but  you  don't  an^ 
swer  my  question." 

"  I  can't  tell  you  now  where  I  got  it,"  stam- 
mered the  poor  woman. 

Ezekiel  Taylor  and  Little  Bobtail  were  more 
astonished  at  this  answer  than  any  other  person  in 
the  room.  Both  of  them  wondered  where  she  had 
obtained  so.  much  money,  while  the  others  in  the 
office  believed  that  her  answer  was  merely  a  subter- 
fuge to  conceal  the  guilt  of  her  son.  Ezekiel  could 
not  help  thinking,  just  then,  that  his  wife  always 
had  money ;  that,  while  she  had  no  visible  means 
of  obtaining  it,  she  always  had  enough  to  feed  and 
clothe  the  family.  He  had  considered  this  subject, 
and  wondered  over  it  before  ;  and  the  only  solution 
of  the  mystery  he  could  suggest  was,  that  her  first 
husband  had  left  her  more  money  than  she  ever 
acknowledged  he  did,  and  she  had  concealed  it  to 
prevent  him  from  spending  it.  As  to  her  son,  he 
had  never  thought  of  the  matter  at  all.     All  that 


198  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

confused  and  confounded  him  was,  his  mother's 
refusal  to  answer  what  seemed  to  him  a  very  sim- 
ple question. 

"  Mrs.  Taylor,  you  will  be  a  witness,  and  the 
most  important  one  in  the  case,  when  it  comes 
up  before  Squire  Norwood  to-morrow,"  added 
the  lawyer. 

"I  suppose  I  shall,"  replied  Mrs.  Taylor,  with 
a  gasp. 

"  You  will  be  put  under  oath,  and  compelled  to 
testify." 

"But  you  are  not  under  oath  now,  and  you 
need  not  say  anything,  if  you  don't  wish  to,"  said 
Mr.  Brooks. 

"  As  the  matter  looks  now,  you  are  a  party  to 
the  theft,  and  I  can  cause  your  arrest,"  added  the 
squire,  vexed  at  the  officiousness  of  the  deputy 
sheriff. 

"0,  dear  me  !  "   groaned  Mrs.  Taylor. 

"  Don't  be  frightened,  mother,"  interposed  Bob- 
tail. "  You  know,  and  I  know,  that  you  did  not 
obtain  the  money  from  me." 

u  And  the  Lord  knows  I  did  not,  and  that  I 
came  honestly  by  it,  too,"  sobbed  the  poor  woman, 
who  had  a  mortal  terror  of  courts  and  the  law. 


THE   WKECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  199 

"If  you  came  honestly  by  the  money,  why 
don't  you  tell  where  you  obtained  it  ?  "  added 
Squire  Gilfilian. 

"  I  have  my  reasons." 

"  If  your  son  did  not  give  you  this  bill  —  " 

"  He  did  not !  I'm  sure  he  never  saw  it  be- 
fore," protested  Mrs.  Taylor. 

"  Whoever  gave  you  this  bill  must  have  stolen 
it,"  said  the  squire,  sternly. 

"  That  don't  follow,"  replied  Mr.  Brooks.  "  It 
may  have  passed  through  the  hands  of  half  a 
dozen  persons  after  it  was  taken  from  the  letter." 

u  Are  you  the  counsel  for  these  parties,  Mr. 
Brooks  ?  "    demanded  the  squire,  smartly. 

"I  am  not ;  but  the  prisoner  is  hi  my  keeping, 
and  shall  have  fair  play.  I'll  take  him  away  if 
you  are  not  satisfied,  for  I  brought  him  here  to 
oblige  you,"  answered  the  deputy  sheriff,  who  was 
certainly  very  considerate  towards  his  charge. 

"  All  I  want  is,  to  get  at  the  truth,"  added  the 
squire,  in  a  milder  tone.  "  If  Mrs.  Taylor  did 
not  receive  this  bill  from  her  son,  and  will  tell 
us  where  she  got  it,  we  can  trace  out  the 
thief." 

"  That's  the  point,"  said  Captain  Chinks. 
"  We  want  to  find  the  guilty  party." 


200  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

Captain  Chinks  winked  rapidly  for  an  instant, 
as  though  his  brain  was  fearfully  exercised  to 
discover  the  thief.  He  had  one  black  eye,  which 
winked  faster  than  the  other  —  it  was  the  result 
of  his  interview  with  Little  Bobtail  the  day 
before,  for  the  boy  struck  hard  when  he  was 
assailed. 

"  I  can't  tell  you  where  I  got  the  bill,"  said 
Mrs.  Taylor ;    "  but  I  came  honestly  by  it." 

"It's  no  use  of  saying  anything  more,  then," 
added  the  lawyer.  "  Under  these  circumstances, 
I  am  compelled  to  regard  you  as  a  party  to  your 
son's  guilt,  Mrs.  Taylor;  and  I  must  cause  your 
arrest." 

"Don't  do  that,  Squire  Gilnlian,"  pleaded 
Bobtail. 

"  I  must  do  it.     It  becomes  my  duty  to  do  it." 

"  Let  him  do  it,"  whispered  Mr.  Brooks. 

"I  can't  help  it  if  you  do,"  sobbed  the  poor 
woman.     "If  I  have  to  go  to  jail,  I  can't  tell." 

"  Nothing  more  can  be  done,  and  I  shall  procure 
a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Mrs.  Taylor,"  said  the 
lawyer,  gathering  up  the  papers  on  his  desk,  and 
restoring  the  five  hundred  dollar  bill  to  his 
pocket-book. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  201 

Mr.  Brooks  and  Bobtail  left  the  office,  followed 
by  Mrs.  Taylor  and  her  husband. 

"I  am  responsible  for  you,  Bobtail,"  said  the 
officer. 

"  I  won't  run  away,  sir.  You  have  been  very 
kind  to  me,  Mr.  Brooks,  and  I  won't  go  back  on 
you,"  replied  Bobtail. 

"  But  I  must  not  lose  sight  of  you  ;  and  I  don't 
want  to  send  you  to  jail.  I'll  take  you  to  my 
house." 

"  Just  as  you  say,  sir ;  but  I  should  like  to  go 
home  and  have  a  talk  with  mother.  I  want  to  see 
Squire  Simonton,  too." 

"  Very  well ;  I  will  go  home  with  you.  I  saw 
Squire  Simonton  walking  towards  his  house  just 
now.  There  he  is,  in  front  of  the  hotel,  talking 
with  Mr.  Hines." 

They  walked  towards  the  Bay  View  House.  It 
was  nearly  tea  time,  and  the  guests  of  the  house 
were  seated  on  the  platform,  under  the  shade  of 
the  trees  which  surround  the  hotel.  There  was 
an  excited  group  there,  for  the  particulars  of  the 
cruise  of  the  Penobscot  that  day  had  just  been 
related  by  the  Walkers  and  others. 

"  I  want  to  see  you,  Squire  Simonton,"  said 
Bobtail. 


202  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  There  he  is.  Three  cheers  for  Little  Bob- 
tail! "  shouted  Mr.  Walker,  as  he  pointed  to  the 
hero  of  the  day. 

There  were  gentlemen  enough  who  had  heard 
the  story  to  give  the  cheers,  and  the  ladies  clapped 
their  hands. 

"That's  for  you,  Bobtail,"  said  Mr.  Hines. 
"  We  have  heard  of  your  brave  deeds,  and  all  the 
people  in  the  hotel  are  talking  about  you."  . 

Little  Bobtail  blushed  like  a  beet,  and  while 
Mr.  Hines  was  telling  the  deputy  sheriff  how  the 
boy  had  saved  Grace  Montague  from  the  waves 
and  the  rocks,  the  hero  related  his  own  troubles  to 
Mr.  Simonton.  Mr.  Walker  and  Emily  came  out, 
and  insisted  that  Bobtail  should  go  into  the  hotel, 
and  see  the  ladies.  Ever  so  many  of  them  shook 
his  brown  hand,  and  he  blushed  and  stammered, 
and  thought  the  scene  was  ten  times  as  trying  as 
that  off  Blank  Island.  Then  he  must  take  tea 
with  the  Walkers.     He  could  not  be  excused. 

"  I  can't,  sir,"  protested  Bobtail.  "I  have  been 
taken  up  for  stealing  since  I  came  a  shore.  But 
I  didn't  do  it." 

"  For  stealing  !  "  exclaimed  Emily  Walker, 
with  horror. 


THE   WRECK   OF    THE   PENOBSCOT.  203 

« 1  didn't  do  it." 

"  I  knoAV  you  didn't,  Captain  Bobtail,"  replied 
Emily. 

"  This  is  Mr.  Brooks,  the  deputy  sheriff,  and  he 
is  reponsible  for  me,"  added  Bobtail.  "So  you 
see  I  can't  leave  him." 

"  Then  Mr.  Brooks  must  come  too,"  said  Mr. 
Walker. 

The  officer  was  very  obliging,  and  went  too. 
Bobtail  was  a  first-class  lion,  though  under  arrest 
for  stealing.  The  gentlemen  patted  him  on  the 
head,  and  the  ladies  petted  him.  A  party  wanted 
the  Skylark  for  the  next  day,  another  for  Monday, 
and  a  third  for  Tuesday.  The  hero  could  not  go 
the  next  day,  for  he  had  to  be  examined  before 
Squire  Norwood  for  stealing  the  letter.  It  was 
dark  when  he  escaped  from  the  hotel,  and  went 
home  attended  by  Mr.  Brooks.  Squire  Simonton 
was  there  waiting  to  see  him. 

After  the  scene  at  the  office,  Ezekiel  and  his 
wife  had  walked  to  the  cottage  together.  Neither 
of  them  was  in  a  pleasant  frame  of  mind.  The 
tippler  was  sober,  because  he  had  neither  rum  nor 
money.  He  wanted  both,  for  he  was  tliirsting  and 
hankering  for  a  dram. 


204  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"So  it  seems  you've  got  money  somewhere," 
said  Ezekiel  to  his  troubled  wife. 

"  No,  I  haven't,"  replied  Mrs.  Taylor,  who  was 
only  thinking  how  she  could  extricate  herself  from 
the  difficulties  of  her  situation,  and  not  at  all 
troubled  about  the  thoughts  or  suspicions  of  her 
worthless  husband. 

"  Yes,  you  have  !  When  I  don't  have  a  dollar, 
you  always  have  somethin',"  persisted  Ezekiel. 
"  You've  kept  money  hid  away  from  me  ever  since 
we  was  married.  Your  first  husband  left  more'n 
you  told  on." 

u  All  that  my  first  husband  left  me  was  gone 
years  ago,"  added  Mrs.  Taylor,  indifferently. 

"  You've  got  money  somewhere." 

"  If  I  have,  I  shall  keep  it." 

"  You  hain't  no  right  to  do  so." 

"Yes,  I  have.  If  I  had  any  money,  I  would 
not  let  you  have  it  to  spend  for  rum.  Every  dol- 
lar you  get  goes  for  that,  and  you  would  have 
starved  to  death  if  I  hadn't  taken  care  of  you." 

"  If  you've  got  any  money,  I  wan't  some  on't ; 
and  I'm  go'n  to  have  it,  too." 

"I  haven't  any  money;  at  least  not  much  of 
any  ;  and  what  I  have  I  mean  to  keep." 


THE  WRECK  OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  205 

Ezekiel  was  mad.  He  was  fully  convinced  that 
his  wife  had  money  concealed  somewhere,  or  in 
the  hands  of  some  friend,  who  gave  it  to  her  as 
she  wanted  it.  She  always  paid  the  bills  of  the 
house  very  promptly,  and  had  enough  to  buy  a 
dress  for  herself,  or  a  suit  of  clothes  for  Robert,  and 
even  for  him.  He  felt  that  he  had  a  right  to  his 
wife's  property,  even  if  he  spent  it  for  rum.  But 
Mrs.  Taylor  was  too  much  for  him  ;  for  whatever 
secret  she  had,  she  kept  it.  This  was  not  the  first 
time  that  Ezekiel  had  been  vexed  by  these  suspi- 
cions, and  he  had  searched  the  house  several  times, 
when  she  was  absent,  for  the  hidden  treasure,  but 
without  finding  it.  The  debate  on  this  question 
was  continued  long  after  they  returned  to  the 
cottage,  but  the  husband  was  no  wiser  at  the  end 
of  it  than  at  the  beginning. 

All  the  points  of  the  case  were  stated  to 
Squire  Simonton,  who  volunteered  to  act  as  coun- 
sel for  Bobtail. 

"  But  where  did  this  bill  come  from,  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor ?  "  asked  the  legal  gentleman. 

"  I  can't  tell,"  replied  the  troubled  woman. 

"  You  can't  teU  !  " 

"No,  sir  ;  I  cannot." 


206  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB 

"  But  your  refusal  will  certainly  insure  the  con- 
viction of  your  son." 

"Robert  did  not  give  me  that  bill,"  protested 
she. 

"I  don't  believe  he  did,  nuther,"  said  Ezekiel. 
"  She's  got  money  hid  away  somewhere." 

"If  it  had  been  hid  away  long,  it  could  not 
have  been  the  bill  which  was  sent  in  the 
letter." 

"It  wasn't  hid  away,"  added  Mrs.  Taylor.  "I 
might  injure  somebody  by  telling  where  I  got  the 
bill ;  and  for  that  reason  I  can't  say  a  single  word, 
even  if  I  go  to  prison  for  it." 

"  But  your  son  will  be  sent  to  prison,  certainly, 
if  you  don't  tell,"  said  the  lawyer. 

"O,  dear!     What  shall  I  do  ?  " 

She  positively  refused  to  tell  even  Squire  Simon- 
ton,  who  explained  that,  as  counsel,  he  could  not 
be  obliged  to  reveal  the  secrets  of  his  clients.  It 
was  finally  arranged  that  a  postponement  of  the 
examination  should  be  obtained,  if  possible ;  and 
Mr.  Walker  and  half  a  dozen  others  had  promised 
to  give  bail  for  Bobtail. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  207 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CAPTAIN  CHINKS  IS  INDIFFERENT. 

"T  DON'T  know  that  we  can  do  any  better 
J_  under  the  circumstances,"  said  Squire  Simon- 
ton,  after  the  arrangement  of  the  legal  business 
had  been  agreed  upon.  "  But  we  are  making  a 
strange  case  of  it." 

The  squire  bestowed  one  of  his  pleasant  smiles 
upon  the  case,  for  he  was  one  of  those  sweet- 
tempered  men  who  never  frown,  even  when  they 
are  vexed.  He  was  perplexed,  and  very  properly 
claimed  the  right,  as  counsel,  to  know  all  the  facts. 
But  it  was  evident  that  Mrs.  Taylor  had,  or  supposed 
she  had,  a  good  reason  for  concealing  the  source 
from  which  came  the  five  hundred  dollar  bill. 

"  Squire  Gilfilian  purposes  to  make  Mrs.  Taylor 
a  party  to  the  theft,"  said  Mr.  Brooks.  "  Probably 
he  will  get  out  a  warrant  for  her  arrest  in  the 
morning." 


208  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  I  never  thought  it  would  come  to  this,  that  I 
should  be  taken  up  for  stealing,"  added  the  poor 
woman,  bursting  into  tears. 

"  You  can  hardly  wonder  at  being  arrested," 
suggested  the  squire.  "  The  stolen  property  was 
in  your  possession,  and  you  refuse  even  to  explain 
where  you  got  it." 

" 1  could  tell  a  lie  about  it,  but  I  won't  do 
that,"  sobbed  Mrs  Taylor.  "If  you  can  only 
get  the  case  put  off  for  a  few  days,  or  a  week,  I 
hope  —  I  may  be  able  —  that  is,  I  may  be  able  to 
explain  how  I  came  by  that  bill." 

"  We  must  give  some  reason  for  desiring  a  post- 
ponement," replied  the  lawyer.  "  Can  you  really 
say,  Mrs.  Taylor,  that  you  expect  to  obtain  more 
testimony  ?  " 

"  I  hope  to  obtain  it." 

"  Very  well.  Then  I  think  we  can  have  the 
case  put  off  till,  say,  next  Tuesday." 

"  I  will  try  to  have  matters  explained  by  that 
time  ;  but  I  am  to  be  taken  up  and  sent  to  jail." 

"  O,  no,"  laughed  the  squire.  "  You  may  be 
arrested;  but  that  will  amount  to  nothing.  Your 
husband  can  give  bail  for  you,  for  it  appears  that 
this  house  belongs  to  him  now,  since  the  mortgage 
is  cancelled." 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE    PENOBSCOT.  209 

44  I  won't  go  bail  for  her,"  said  Ezekiel,  sourly ; 
and  this  was  the  first  time  he  appeared  to  be  of 
the  slightest  consequence. 

"Won't  you?" 

44  No,  I  won't.  She  has  kept  money  hid  away 
from  me." 

"  Never  mind,  mother.  We  shall  get  bail  enough 
to  keep  a  coaster  afloat,"  interposed  Bobtail.  "  If 
we  can't  do  any  better,  I'll  send  for  Colonel 
Montague.  He  told  me,  if  I  ever  wanted  a  friend, 
to  send  for  him." 

"  Certainly  he  will  help  you,  after  what  you 
have  done  to-day,"  smiled  the  lawyer. 

44  But  I  don't  want  to  have  you  to  go  away  up 
to  Belfast  for  him,"  said  Mrs.  Taylor,  who  appeared 
now  to  be  more  troubled  than  ever. 

44  I  don't  think  we  need  to  do  so,  mother.  Mr. 
Walker  and  two  or  three  other  gentlemen  said 
they  would  bail  me  out ;  and  so  I  don't  believe  we 
shall  sink,"  laughed  Little  Bobtail. 

44  Now,  Mr.  Brooks,  I  don't  think  you  need  take 
the  boy  away  from  his  friends.  I  am  sure  he  won't 
run  away,"  added  the  squire. 

44 1  am  satisfied.     Though  this  is  the  oddest  case 
I  have  had  anything  to  do  with  for  a  long  time.     I 
14 


210  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

am  inclined  to  think  Bobtail  will  come  out  right, 
though  for  the  life  of  me  I  can't  see  how,"  added 
the  deputy  sheriff. 

"I'll  trust  Bobtail  anywhere.  He  goes  to  our 
Sunday  school,  and  I  know  he  is  an  honest  boy, 
however  bad  his  case  may  look  just  now,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Simonton. 

Mr.  Brooks  was  entirely  willing  to  trust  the  lion 
of  the  day  out  of  his  custody  ;  and  he  left  the  cot- 
tage with  the  lawyer. 

"  I  s'pose  I  ain't  o'  no  account  here,"  said 
Ezekiel,  as  the  door  closed  behind  the  departing 
gentlemen. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  asked  Mrs. 
Taylor. 

"  I  wan't  to  know  sun  thin'  about  this  business. 
I  s'pose  I  ain't  the  head  of  this  family." 

"  I  don't  think  you  are,"  replied  the  wife. 
"  You  haven't  done  much  for  it  the  last  seven 
years." 

"  You  bring  that  boy  of  yourn  up  to  steal.  If 
he'll  take  my  property,  he'll  take  other  folks' 
property." 

"  It's  no  use  to  talk  any  more  about  that 
matter,"  said  Mrs.  Taylor,  impatiently. 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  211 

"  I  believe  the  boy  stole  the  letter  and  took 
the  money  out  on't,"  muttered  Ezekiel. 

"  A  little  while  ago  you  believed  I  had  money 
hid  away,  and  took  the  five  hundred  dollars  from 
that." 

"  It  was  one  way  or  t'other,  and  one  ain't  no 
wus  'n  t'other.  I  hain't  been  consulted  in  this 
business  at  all." 

"You  refused  to  be  bail  for  me,  and  that's 
enough  for  one  day,"  answered  Mrs.  Taylor. 

"  I  ain't  a  goin'  to  resk  my  property  for  a  woman 
that  keeps  money  hid  away  from  me,  and  won't 
tell  no  thin'  about  this  business." 

"  Your  property  would  have  been  all  taken 
away  from  you  long  ago  if  I  hadn't  paid  the 
interest,  and  paid  the  mortgage,  too." 

"  But  where  did  you  get  the  money  to  pay  the 
mortgage  with  ?  " 

"  That  will  all  be  explained  in  due  time." 

Ezekiel  went  over  the  same  ground  again  and 
again.  He  was  angry,  and  finally  left  the  house. 
He  felt  that  he  was  an  abused  man,  because  he 
was  ignored.  He  objected  to  giving  bail  for  his 
wife  simply  to  increase  his  own  importance,  and  a 
little   importunity  would   have   won   his  consent. 


212  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

He  was  vexed  because  he  had  not  even  been 
asked  a  second  time  to  yield  the  point. 

"Now,  mother,  we  are  alone,"  said  Bobtail. 
"Can't  yon  tell  me  where  you  got  that  bill?" 

"I  can't  tell  anybody,  Robert,"  replied  his 
mother.  "I  am  sure  that  all  will  be  explained 
in  time." 

"  The  case  looks  bad  against  me,  mother." 

"  I  know  it  does ;  "  and  the  tears  began  to  flow 
from  her  eyes  again. 

•  "  I  don't  like  to  be  accused  of  stealing,  and  have 
it  proved,  as  it  seems  to  be  in  this  case.  I  don't 
blame  anybody  for  thinking  I'm  guilty,  when  the 
very  bill  that  was  in  the  letter  was  handed  to  the 
squire  by  you,  and  you  won't  tell  where  you  got 
it.  I  shall  be  sent  to  the  state  prison  for  two  or 
three  years." 

"  O,  Robert,  I  shall  be  crazy!  Do  you  think  I 
stole  the  bill?" 

*'  No,  mother ;  nothing  of  that  kind.  I  know 
you  wouldn't  steal.  You  know  I  didn't  give  you 
that  bill,  and  you  are  the  only  one  that  does  know 
it  positively.  I  wonder  that  Squire  Simonton  don't 
give  me  the  cold  shoulder,  though  he  is  my  Sun- 
day school  teacher.     I  can't  see  what  difference  it 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.'  213 

would  make   if  you  should  tell  where   you   got 
the  bill." 

44  I  can't  say  a  word  about  it.  I  will  try  to 
have  the  whole  matter  explained  before  Tues- 
day," said  the  poor  woman,  troubled  as  she  had 
never  been  troubled  before. 

u  I  think  I  shall  call  on  Colonel  Montague,  if 
I  get  a  chance.  He  told  me  I  should  hear  from 
him  again,"  said  Bobtail,  as  he  put  on  his  cap,  for 
he  intended  to  sleep  on  board  of  the  Skylark. 

u  I  wouldn't  bother  him  with  the  matter, 
Robert." 

u  Why  not  ?  He  told  me  to  send  for  him  if 
I  ever  wanted  a  friend;  and  I  want  one  now,  if 
ever  I  did." 

44  It  will  look  as  though  you  wanted  to  make 
too  much  of  what  you  did  for  him  to-day." 

"  I  don't  think  so,  mother.  He  is  a  great  man, 
and  has  influence.  If  I  can  get  a  chance  to  run  up 
to  Belfast  in  the  Skylark,  I  will  do  so." 

44  Don't  tell  him  that  I  sent  you,  Robert,"  said 
Mrs.  Taylor,  actually  trembling  with  emotion. 

44  Of  course  I  won't ;  but  I  don't  see  why  you 
are  so  particular  about  not  calling  on  him.  I  know 
he  would  be  glad  to  help  me." 


214  *  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

Mrs.  Taylor  made  no  reply,  and  her  son,  bidding 
her  good  night,  left  the  house.  He  went  on  board 
of  the  Skylark,  and  after  he  had  told  the  Darwin- 
ian the  whole  story  of  his  misfortune,  he  turned 
in.  He  did  not  sleep  as  well  as  usual.  He  could 
not  help  thinking  half  the  night  of  his  troubles. 
They  worried  him,  and  he  wondered  if  people 
were  ever  really  punished  for  crimes  they  did  not 
commit. 

Ezekiel  Taylor  left  the  cottage  hardly  less  dis- 
turbed than  his  wife  was.  He  had  a  strong  sus- 
picion that  he  was  not  the  head  of  the  family ; 
that  Mrs.  Taylor  had  actually  usurped  his  powers 
and  prerogatives  ;  that  she  dared  to  think  and  act 
for  herself  and  her  son  without  much,  if  any, 
regard  to  him.  He  felt  belittled  and  degraded; 
not  because  he  was  a  drunkard,  and  neglected  to 
provide  for  his  family,  but  because  he  was  not  in 
fact,  as  he  was  in  name,  the  head  of  the  house. 
He  was  thirsty  and  hankering  for  rum,  and  this 
condition  made  him  ugly.  He  had  not  a  cent  in 
his  pocket,  and  his  credit  at  the  saloon  was  not 
good  even  for  a  single  dram.  But  he  went  to  the 
saloon,  for  it  was  possible  that  some  one  might 
treat  him.  The  first  person  he  saw  when  he  en- 
tered was  Captain  Chinks.  * 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  215 

Almost  everybody  seemed  to  be  troubled  that 
night,  and  Captain  Chinks  was  among  the  number. 
Things  did  not  work  to  suit  him ;  and  every  time 
he  viewed  himself  in  the  glass  he  saw  that  black 
eye  which  Bobtail  had  given  him,  and  every  time 
he  touched  that  eye  there  was  a  soreness  there  to 
remind  him  of  that  affair  in  the  cabin  of  the  Sky- 
lark. He  did  not  love  Little  Bobtail,  and  the 
event  of  the  day  that  had  set  everybody  to  talk- 
ing about  and  praising  the  boy  made  him  feel  ten 
times  worse.  It  would  be  hard  to  convict  him  of 
stealing  the  letter  while  almost  everybody  was 
making  a  Hon  of  him. 

"  Ah,  Zeke  !  "  exclaimed  Captain  Chinks,  as  the 
tippler  entered  the  saloon. 

"  How  d'y  do,  cap'n  ?  "  replied  the  nominal  head 
of  the  family. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Zeke.  I've  been  want- 
ing to  see  you.     Won't  you  take  something  ? ' ' 

"  Thank  ye  ;  I  don't  care  if  I  do  take  a  little 
o'  sunthin'.  I  don't  feel  jest  right  to-night," 
answered  Ezekiel,  placing  his  hand  upon  Ins  dia- 
phragm, to  intimate  that  this  was  the  seat  of  his 
ailing. 

"  We  will  go  into  this  little  room,  if  you  like," 


216  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

added  Captain  Chinks,  as  lie  led  the  way  into  a 
small  apartment,  where  a  party  could  dine  or 
sup  in  privacy.  "  Give  us  a  bottle  of  that 
brandy,"  he  continued,  addressing  the  keeper  of 
the  saloon. 

Ezekiel  smiled,  for  a  private  room  indicated 
a  free-and-easy  time.  A  bottle  of  brandy  prom- 
ised a  succession  of  drams,  enough  to  warm  up 
that  disagreeable  coldness  at  the  diaphragm,  and 
to  lift  his  brain  up  to  the  pitch  of  a  tippler's  high- 
est enjoyment.  Then  "  that  brandy  "  suggested  a 
liquor  of  choice  quality,  something  which  his  com- 
panion had  tested,  and  knew  to  be  good.  Ezekiel 
was  happy,  and  for  the  moment  he  forgot  that  he 
was  not  the  actual  head  of  the  family ;  that  his 
wife  had  kept  money  "  hid  away  from  him  ;  "  and 
that  her  son  had  destroyed  his  property.  But  he 
wondered  what  Captain  Chinks  could  want  of  him, 
for  that  worthy  did  not  generally  treat  him  with 
much  consideration,  whereas  now  he  was  polite, 
generous,  and  ready  to  invest  to  the  extent  of  a 
whole  bottle  of  that  brandy,  winch  must  be  very 
choice,  and  therefore  expensive. 

The  bottle  came,  and  the  door  of  the  little 
room  was  closed.     Captain  Chinks  seated  himself 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE   PENOBSCOT.  217 

on  one  side  of  the  table,  on  which  the  bottle  and 
glasses  were  placed,  and  invited  Ezekiel  to  occupy 
a  chair  on  the  other  side.  The  captain  pushed  the 
brandy  and  a  glass  towards  his  guest,  who  needed 
no  persuasion  to  induce  him  to  partake  of  the 
choice  liquor.  He  poured  out  about  half  a  tumbler 
of  the  stuff,  but  he  kept  his  hand  over  the  glass,  — 
he  was  a  wily  toper,  —  so  that  his  host  should  not 
see  how  much  he  took.  He  added  a  very  little 
water  to  the  fiery  fluid,  and  then  held  the 
glass  in  his  trembling  hand  till  the  captain  was 
ready  to  join  him.  The  man  with  a  doubtful  repu^ 
tation  did  not  cover  his  glass  with  his  hand ;  if  he 
had  thought  it  necessary,  he  would  have  done  it  in 
order  to  conceal  how  small,  rather  than  how  large, 
a  dram  he  took.  He  only  covered  the  bottom  of 
the  tumbler,  and  then  deluged  the  liquor  with 
water.  Captain  Chinks  was  a  cunning  man,  and 
he  knew  that  brandy  unfits  a  man  for  business, 
impairs  his  judgment,  and  blunts  his  perception. 
He  took  a  small  dram. 

"  Here's  to  you,"  said  Ezekiel. 

"Thank  you;  my  respects,"  added  Captain 
Chinks. 

The  toper  drained  his  glass.     The   liquor  was 


218  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

strong,  and  the  tears  drowned  his  eyes  as  he 
swallowed  the  fiery  fluid. 

"  That's  good  brandy  !  "  exclaimed  he,  as  soon 
as  he  could  speak. 

"First  chop,"  replied  Captain  Chinks.  "You 
couldn't  buy  that  brandy  in  Portland  for  three 
dollars  a  bottle.  In  my  opinion  that  article  never 
paid  tribute  to  Uncle  Sam." 

"  ' Tain' t  no  wus  for  that,"  said  Ezekiel,  with  a 
cheerful  grin. 

"  That's  so." 

"  'Tain't  right  to  charge  no  duties  on  liquors. 
That's  the  reason  we  git  so  much  pizen  stuff. 
You  can  hardly  git  a  drop  of  good  brandy  for 
sickness  now,  without  you  pay  four  or  five  dollars 
a  bottle  for  it;  and  I  can't  afford  to  pay  no  sech 
prices,"  added  Ezekiel,  deeply  moved  at  this  terri- 
ble grievance. 

"  Well,  I  reckon  there's  more  of  it  comes  in 
from  the  provinces  without  paying  any  duties 
than  most  people  think,  though  I  don't  know 
anything  about  it  myself."  * 

Even  Ezekiel  Taylor  had  his  doubts  on  this 
point,  though  he  was  not  disposed,  under  the 
present  agreeable  circumstances,  to  indulge  in 
any  controversy  on  the  point. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  219 

44  The  more  they  bring  in,  the  better,"  said  he, 
encouragingly. 

44  By  the  way,  Zeke,  that  boy  of  yours  is  in 
luck  to-day,"  continued  Captain  Chinks,  toying 
with  his  glass. 

"  He  ain't  no  boy  o'  mine,"  said  the  toper,  with 
no  little  indignation  in  his  tones.  "He's  my 
wife's  boy." 

44  Well,  it's  all  the  same.     He's  a  smart  boy." 

44  He's  smart  enough  ;  but  he  ain't  the  right  sort 
of  a  boy.     He's  rather  too  smart." 

44  That  was  a  bad  scrape  he  got  into  about  that 
letter ;  but  I  can't  believe  he  opened  it,  and  took 
the  money  out,"  added  Captain  Chinks,  still  toying 
with  the  glass,  and  apparently  without  the  least 
interest  in  the  conversation  in  which  he  was 
engaged. 

44  He  ain't  none  too  good  to  do  sech  a  thing," 
muttered  Ezekiel,  as  he  recalled  the  wickedness 
of  the  boy  in  destroying  44  his  property." 

44 1  thought  he  was  a  nice  boy,  went  to  Sunday 
school,  and  belonged  to  the  Band  of  Hope,"  con- 
tinued the  captain,  who,  however,  judging  from 
his  manner,  did  not  care  whether  the  boy  was  a 
saint  or  a  demon. 


220  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB 

"  I  don't  care  what  he  b 'longs  to,  nor  how  many 
Sunday  schools  he  goes  to :  he  stole  sunthin'  from 
me,  and  I  cal'late  he'd  steal  from  other  folks,  if  he 
would  from  me." 

"  That's  good  logic,  Zeke ;  but  you  mustn't  be 
hard  on  the  boy." 

"  I  ain't  hard  on  him." 

"  I  reckon  that  folks  generally  think  more  of 
him  than  you  seem  to.  By  the  way,  did  he  say 
anything  to  you  about  that  boat  he  picked  up  over 
on  the  other  shore  ?  " 

"  No  ;  he  never  said  no  thin'  to  me  about  it." 

"  Didn't  he  ?  " 

"No;  he  never  says  nothin'  tome  about  any- 
thing." 

"  That's  a  fine  boat,"  added  Captain  Chinks, 
who  had  taken  a  lead  pencil  from  his  pocket, 
and  was  tapping  the  glass  with  it,  as  if  to  ascertain 
the  quality  of  the  material  of  which  it  was  com- 
posed. 

"  So  I've  hearn  tell ;  but  I  hain't  seen  her  only 
from  the  shore." 

"  It's  strange  no  one  comes  after  her,"  sug- 
gested the  captain.  "  Zeke,  there's  a  mystery 
about  that  boat." 


THE   WRECK  OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  221 

"  Sho ! " 

"  Of  course  I  don't  know  anything  about  it ; 
but  I  reckon  the  owner  would  have  been  after 
her,  if  there  hadn't  been  some  reason  for  keeping 
in  the  dark." 

"  You  don't  say  so  !  " 

"  Well,  you  see  I  only  guess  at  it.  I  don't 
know  no  more  about  it  than  you  do ;  perhaps 
not  so  much." 

"I  don't  know  nothin'  at  all  about  it,"  pro- 
tested Ezekiel. 

Captain  Chinks  tapped  the  glass,  and  did  not 
seem  to  care  about  anything  in  particular,  least 
of  all  about  that  boat,  which  was  the  subject  of 
the  conversation. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  a  mystery,  cap'n  ?  I 
hain't  hearn  nothin'  of  no  mystery  afore." 

"  I  had  some  talk  with  your  boy  about  the  boat 
and  her  cargo." 

"  What  cargo  ?  I  hain't  hearn  nothin'  o'  no 
cargo." 

"  Won't  you  take  another  nip  of  this  brandy, 
Zeke  ?  "  added  Captain  Chinks,  pushing  the  bottle 
towards  him. 

"  Don't  care  if  I  do.     That's  good  brandy." 


222  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  But  it  isn't  any  better  than  a  lot  which  was 
aboard  that  boat  when  your  boy  picked  her  up." 

"  Sho  !    You  don't  say  she  had  brandy  in  her  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  say  so.  I  say  again  that  I  don't 
know  anything  at  all  about  the  matter.  I  only 
had  my  suspicions,  you  know." 

" 1  understand,"  replied  Ezekiel,  as  he  drank 
off  his  dram. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  in  my  judgment  that  boat 
was  loaded  with  brandy,  or  something  that  don't 
pay  tribute  to  Uncle  Sam." 

"  You  don't  say  so  !  " 

"  No,  I  don't  say  so,"  replied  Captain  Chinks, 
sharply,  for  he  was  very  particular  not  to  be 
regarded  as  affirming  what  he  only  suspected. 
"  I  only  guess  so." 

"  Well,  you  don't  say  that  you  guess  so  !  That's 
what  I  meant  to  say,"  explained  the  toper. 

"  The  talk  I  had  with  your  boy  satisfied  me  I 
wasn't  far  from  right.  Now,  the  brandy's  worth 
more  than  the  boat.  I'm  always  up  to  a  trade, 
you  know ;  and  I  didn't  know  but  I  might  make 
something.  I  asked  your  boy  if  he  would  give 
up  the  cargo  and  keep  the  boat,  in  case  I  could 
find  the  owner." 


THE  WEECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  223 

"  Sho  !     Did  you  know  the  owner,  cap'n  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  didn't.  I  haven't  the  least  idea 
who  he  is.  Your  boy  wouldn't  give  up  the  cargo 
and  keep  the  boat." 

"  That  boy's  a  fool,  and  alius  was." 

"I  thought,  if  I  could  get  hold  of  the  ratrgo,  I 
could  make  something  out  of  it.  Perhaps  you  and 
I  can  now ;  "  and  the  captain  looked  sharply  into 
the  toper's  face. 

"I'm  ready,"  replied  Ezekiel,  who  was  now 
considerably  "boozed." 

"Bobtail  must  have  landed  that  cargo  some- 
where, and  concealed  it ;  perhaps  on  some  island ; 
may  be  in  your  house.  I  say,  Zeke,  can  you  keep 
a  quiet  tongue  in  your  head  ?  " 

"  I  cal'late  I  can." 

Captain  Chinks  enlarged  on  this  point,  and  the 
toper  promised  to  be  as  silent  as  the  grave. 

"  Now,  I  reckon  you  can  find  this  brandy.  I 
suppose  it  was  brandy,  but  I  don't  know.  If  it 
was,  it  comes  in  cases." 

"Yes,  I  know,"  added  Ezekiel,  eagerly;  and 
he  wished  he  might  get  hold  of  that  brandy; 
if  he  did,  Captain  Chinks  would  not  get  the  whole 
of  it. 


224  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

"  If  you  keep  an  eye  on  the  boy,  you  can  easily 
find  it.  The  boat  was  seen  at  anchor  early  in  the 
morning  after  he  picked  her  up,  and  I'm  pretty 
sure  he  has  hid  the  goods  somewhere  about  your 
house.  If  you  find  them,  just  let  me  know,  and 
I'll  give  you  a  case  of  the  brandy,  and  a  hundred 
dollars  besides.     Will  you  do  it,  Zeke  ?  " 

"If  it  don't  b'long  to  you,  I  don't  see  why  I 
should  give  it  up  to  you." 

This  was  a  brilliant  idea  on  the  part  of  the 
toper,  and  Captain  Chinks  could  not  help  ac- 
knowledging the  force  of  it. 

"  You  can't  do  anything  with  it.  The  govern- 
ment will  take  it  away  from  you.  You  see,  I 
mean  to  make  a  trade  with  the  owner  of  the 
goods.  It  is  no  more  than  fair  that  he  should 
have  his  own  property,  if  he  will  pay  you  and  me 
for  our  trouble.     Take  something,  Zeke." 

The  toper  drank  again,  and  then  Captain  Chinks 
made  him  a  present  of  what  was  left  in  the  bottle. 
Ezekiel  agreed  to  do  all  that  was  required  of  him, 
and  his  companion  cautioned  him  not  to  say  a  word 
to  Bobtail  about  it,  but  only  to  watch  him.  They 
separated,  and  the  inebriate  staggered  to  his 
home. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  225 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

THE  EXAMINATION. 

MRS.  TAYLOR  did  not  sleep  any  better  than 
her  son.  Her  troubles  kept  her  awake, 
and  not  her  worthless  husband,  who  was  so  tipsy 
when  he  returned  from  the  saloon,  that  he 
dropped  asleep  as  soon  as  he  lay  down.  The 
poor  woman  had  done  nothing  to  improve  the 
situation,  for  she  could  not  leave  the  town  until 
after  the  examination.  At  nine  o'clock  Mr. 
Brooks  came  to  the  cottage  with  a  warrant  for 
her  arrest,  but  he  considerately  begged  her  not 
to  disturb  herself  about  the  matter.  All  he  re- 
quired of  her  was  to  appear  at  the  office  of  Squire 
Norwood  at  ten  o'clock,  and  no  one  need  ever 
know  she  was  in  custody  before  that  hour. 

Little  Bobtail  came  on  shore  before  the  officer 
left  the  house,  and  reported  himself  ready,  in  his 
own  words,  to   "  face  the  music."      At  the   ap- 
15 


226  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OK 

pointed  hour  there  was  a  considerable  collec- 
tion of  people  in  the  office  of  Squire  Norwood. 
Mr.  Walker,  who  was  quite  a  distinguished  man, 
the  mayor  of  Bangor,  Judge  Hamblin,  and  sev- 
eral other  notable  gentlemen  of  the  state  were 
present,  all  of  them  interested  in  the  fate  of  the 
brave  youth  who  had  behaved  so  well  off  Blank 
Island.  They  were  members  of  the  Penobscot's 
party,  and  each  of  them  was  willing  to  do  all 
that  Colonel  Montague  would  do  if  present. 

Mrs.  Taylor  and  her  son  appeared,  and  they 
were  warmly  greeted  by  the  interested  spectators. 
The  business  proceeded  in  due  form,  and  Mr.  Si- 
monton  astonished  Squire  Gilfilian  by  asking  for 
a  postponement  until  the  next  Tuesday.  The 
reasons  for  this  request  were  considered,  and 
they  were  deemed  sufficient ;  but  Squire  Gilfilian 
stoutly  objected,  because  a  certain  witness  would 
be  obliged  to  remain  in  Camden  three  days. 
Judge  Hamblin  consulted  with  Squire  Simonton, 
and  it  was  agreed  to  proceed  with  the  examina- 
tion. Mrs.  Taylor  trembled  and  wept  when  this 
decision  was  reached,  and  a  smile  of  triumph 
played  upon  the  lips  of  Squire  Gilfilian.  Captain 
Chinks  tried  to  be  indifferent,  but   he  was  evi- 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.        227 

dently  pleased  with  the  result.  The  case  was 
commenced,  and  Squire  Gilfilian,  Captain  Chinks, 
and  the  ill-visage d  man  gave  their  evidence  as 
they  had  stated  it  in  the  office  of  the  lawyer. 
It  appeared  that  Robert  Taylor  had  left  the  letter 
on  the  squire's  desk.  The  five  hundred  dollar 
bill  was  produced  and  identified  by  Mr.  Slipwing, 
and  it  was  shown  that  this  bill  had  been  paid  to 
the  squire  by  Mrs.  Taylor.  No  evidence  was 
introduced  to  show  that  the  boy  had  returned  to 
the  office  after  Captain  Chinks  left,  but  it  seemed 
impossible  to  escape  the  conclusion  that  he  had 
done  so.  Mrs.  Taylor  now  appeared  as  a  defend- 
ant, and  could  not  be  compelled  to  testify.  At 
this  point  in  the  proceedings,  Squire  Simonton 
renewed  his  request  that  the  further  examination 
of  the  defendants  be  postponed  till  the  next 
Tuesday,  when  he  hoped  to  bring  forward  an  im- 
portant witness  in  the  case.  Captain  Chinks,  in 
spite  of  his  assumed  indifference,  was  uneasy  at 
this  statement.  The  request  was  granted ;  Mr. 
Walker  and  the  mayor  of  Bangor  offered  them- 
selves as  bail  for  the  defendants,  and  they  were 
released  from  custody. 

The  case  certainly  looked  very  black  for  Mrs. 


228  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

Taylor  and  her  son.  The  kind  friends  who  ap- 
peared to  assist  them  were  staggered  at  the  evi- 
dence, and  feared  it  would  be  impossible  to  save 
him  from  conviction.  They  could  only  hope  for 
the  best,  and  hope  against  what  appeared  to  be 
an  absolute  certainty.  Judge  Hamblin  was  con- 
founded, but  he  was  so  averse  to  believing  the 
brave  boy  was  guilty,  that  he  suspected  there 
was  a  conspiracy.  After  the  postponement  of  the 
examination,  he  asked  Squire  Gilfilian  to  let  him 
see  the  five  hundred  dollar  bill. 

"  Mrs.  Taylor,  have  you  looked  at  this  bill  ?  " 
he  asked,  as  he  showed  it  to  the  troubled  woman. 

"  No,   sir ;  I  have  not,"  she  replied. 

"  Won't  you  look  at  it  ?  Do  you  remember 
the  bill  you  paid  Mr.   Gilfilian  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  look  at  it  much." 

"  How  long  did  you  have  the  bill  in  your  pos- 
session ?  " 

"  Not  long,   sir." 

"Did  you  examine  it?" 

"  Not  much  ;  I  looked  it  over  a  little." 

Mrs.  Taylor  turned  over  the  note  in  her  hands, 
and  examined  it  very  carefully. 

"  Does  that  one  look  like  it  ?  "  asked  the  judge, 
anxiously. 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  229 

"  You  don't  suppose  we  have  changed  the  bill 
—  do  you  ?  "  demanded  Squire  Gilfilian,  rather 
indignantly. 

"  Certainly  not,  Mr.  Gilfilian,"  replied  the 
judge.  "  At  least  I  don't  suppose  you  have  any 
knowledge  of  such  a  trick.  But  there  may  be 
some  mistake.  The  witness  who  identifies  this 
bill  is  taking  charge  of  the  defence  of  the  Buck- 
ingham Bank  robbers.  Perhaps  he  is  one  of  them 
himself,  and  it  is  even  possible  that  he  sent  you 
no  money  in  the  letter." 

"  I  have  no  desire  to  convict  the  boy,  if  he 
is  not  guilty,"   added  Mr.  Gilfilian. 

"  Certainly  not  ;  I  do  not  suppose  the  con- 
trary, but  I  would  like  to  hear  what  the  boy's 
mother  says  about  this  bill.  Now,  Mrs.  Taylor," 
continued  the  judge,  turning  to  the  troubled 
woman,  "  does  that  bill  look  like  the  one  you 
paid  Mr.   Gilfilian?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  very  much  like  it,"  answered  she, 
sadly. 

"Do  you  think  it  is  the  one?" 

UI  think  it  is,  sir." 

"Look  at  it  very  carefully,  if  you  please." 

"  I  have  looked  at  it ;  and  I'm  sure  this  is  the 
one,"  said  Mrs.'  Taylor. 


230  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

Squire  Gilfilian  looked  triumphantly  at  the 
judge,  who  was  more  amazed  than  ever.  He 
knew  the  workings  of  crime  well  enough  to  see 
the  bearing  of  poor  Mrs.  Taylor's  present  conduct. 
If  guilty  she  would  not  have  acknowledged  the 
identity  of  the  bill.  She  would  have  encouraged 
the  lawyers,  to  save  herself  and  her  son,  by  fol- 
lowing out  the  suggestion  that  the  letter  had 
contained  no  bill. 

"  Then  where  did  you  get  this  bill,  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor?" asked  the  judge. 

"  I  can't  tell  at  present,  sir,"  replied  the  poor 
mother,   as  she  glanced  at  her  son. 

Mr.  Simonton  explained  that,  for  some  reason 
inexplicable  to  liim,  the  woman  positively  refused 
to  explain  where  the  bill  came  from.  The  judge 
was  still  more  confounded  ;  though,  after  the 
straightforward  and  damaging  answers  she  had 
given  in  regard  to  the  identity  of  the  bill,  he 
could  not  believe  she  was  guilty,  even  while  it 
was  impossible  to  see  how  she  could  be  innocent. 
The  parties  left  the  office,  and  everybody  talked 
about  the  examination  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

Ezekiel  Taylor  did  not  attend  the  examination, 
for   he    was    engaged   in    an    examination    on   his 


THE  WKECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  231 

own  account.  He  improved  the  opportunity  while 
Bobtail  and  his  mother  were  absent  in  searching 
for  the  contraband  merchandise.  He  had  already 
consumed  the  bottle  of  brandy  given  him  by  Cap- 
tain Cninks,  and  was  anxious  to  find  the  goods, 
in  order  to  obtain  another.  He  ransacked  the 
house  from  cellar  to  garret,  without  finding  any- 
thing which  looked  like  a  case  of  brandy.  He 
was  bitterly  disappointed,  but  he  continued  his 
search  in  the  vicinity  of  the  house,  and  along 
the  shore.  He  spent  the  whole  day  in  this  fruit- 
less occupation. 

Judge  Hamblin  walked  to  the  Bay  View  House, 
after  the  close  of  the  proceedings,  and  Little 
Bobtail  went  with  him.  The  bewildered  legal 
gentleman  questioned  the  boy  closely,  but  his 
replies  were  always  square  and  prompt.  He 
knew  no  tiling  whatever  about  the  letter  after 
he  left  it  on  the  desk  in  the  office. 

"Are  you  going  to  see  Colonel  Montague?'* 
whispered  Mrs.  Taylor,  who  had  followed  her  son 
to  the  hotel. 

"  I  should  like  to  tell  him  about  the  case,  but 
I  don't  see  that  he  can  do  anything  for  us. 
These  folks  have  done  everything,"  replied  Bob- 
tail, gloomily. 


232  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

"You  said  you  were  going,  but  I  don't  ask 
you  to  go." 

"  Two  gentlemen  here  want  the  boat.  They 
said  they  wished  for  a  sail,  and  didn't  care  about 
fishing.  If  they  had  just  as  lief  go  to  Belfast  as 
anywhere .  else,  I'll  run  up  there.  It's  a  tip-top 
breeze  to  go  and  come." 

"  Do  as  you  think  best,  but  don't  tell  him  I 
sent  you,"  added  Mrs.  Taylor,  as  she  walked 
towards  home. 

Bobtail  thought  she  was  over  sensitive  about 
calling  upon  her  old  employer,  but  was  willing 
to  humor  her,  and  promised  to  tell  Colonel  Mon- 
tague, if  he  saw  him,  that  his  mother  had  not 
sent  him. 

"Now,  where's  Captain  Bobtail?"  shouted  a 
gentleman,   coming  out  of  the  hotel. 

"Here  I  am,  sir." 

"  You  were  to  take  us  out  to  sail  if  you  got 
out  of  that  scrape,  my  boy." 

"  I'm  not  out  of  it,  sir ;  but  I  can  take 
you  out  to  sail,"  replied  the  skipper  of  the 
Skylark. 

"  We  are  all  ready,  and  Mr.  Philbrook  has  put 
up  a  basket  of  stores  for  us  ;  for  we  were  going 
to  take  another  boat  if  you  couldn't  go." 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  233 

"  The  boat  is  all  ready,  sir.  Where  do  you 
wish  to  go  ?  " 

"  Don't  care  a  fig  where  we  go.  All  we  want 
is  a  good  sail." 

"  How  long  do  you  want  to  be  out,  sir  ?  " 

"O,  till  night." 

"What  do  you  say  to  a  run  up  to  Belfast?" 

"Capital!  But  can  you  go  as  far  as  that  in 
one  day,  or  what  is  left  of  the  day?-" 

"I  can  run  up  there  with  this  wind,  and  the 
tide  in  our  favor,  in  about  three  hours.  It  is 
blowing  pretty  fresh." 

"I  see  it  is." 

"  And  the  wind  is  west.  The  tide  will  turn 
about  the  time  we  get  there,  and  the  wind  is  fair 
both  ways,  or  nearly  all  the  way.  If  the  wind 
holds,  I  can  get  you  back  before  nine  o'clock, 
and  give  you  an  hour  or  two  in  Belfast." 

"  All  right,  my  lad.  We  don't  care  whether 
we  get  back  by  nine  o'clock  or  not,  —  just  as  lief 
make  a  night  of  it  as  not,"  added  the  gentleman, 
who  spoke  for  both. 

"  You  can  sleep  tip-top  in  the  cabin  ;  but  I 
will  get  you  back  by  nine,  if  the  wind  don't  die 
out.     I  can't  warrant  you  against  that." 


234  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  Belfast  it  is,  my  lad.  Now,  how  much  do 
you  ask  a  day  for  your  boat  ?  " 

"  Seven  dollars,  sir,  for  the  boat  and  crew ; 
eight  if  we  cook  for  you,"  replied  Bobtail,  who 
had  decided  to  advance  the  price,  as  he  stated, 
in  order  to  pay  for  the  few  groceries  and  other 
stores. 

u  Cook  ?  "   queried  the  gentleman. 

"  If  you  take  a  fish  dinner  and  supper  on 
board,  I  charge  a  dollar  more.  I  can  give  you 
tea  and  coffee,  fried  fish,  and  fried  potatoes.  If 
you  want  meats,  I  must  charge  for  them,  too." 

"  Good,  Captain  Bobtail.  We  will  have  fish 
for  dinner  and  supper,  and  pay  you  eight  dollars," 
laughed  the  gentleman,  amused  at  the  business- 
like talk  of  the  boy. 

"But  can  we  stop  to  catch  fish?"  asked  his 
companion. 

"  We  have  time  enough,"  answered  the  skipper. 

*'  Then  catch  the  fish  by  all  means,  for  they 
are  twice  as  good  just  out  of  the  water." 

Little  Bobtail  procured  a  small  can  of  milk, 
and  a  bucket  of  fresh  clams  for  bait.  The  yacht 
was  amply  supplied  with  water  and  stores,  and 
the  party  hastened  to  the  steps  at  the  Portland 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  235 

steamer  wharf.  A  boy  in  a  boat  pulled  them 
off  to  the  Skylark. 

"  Loose  the  mainsail,  Monkey,"  shouted  Bob- 
tail, as  the  boat  approached  the  yacht. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  replied  the  Darwinian,  with  enthu- 
siasm ;  for  he  was  glad  to  vary  the  monotony 
of  his  situation  as  boat-keeper. 

"  Your  crew  is  well  named,  Captain  Bobtail," 
laughed  one  of  the  gentlemen. 

"Yes,  sir.  Monkey  is  a  queer-looking  fellow, 
but  he  is  just  as  good  as  they  make  them,"  re- 
plied Bobtail,  as  he  leaped  upon  the  deck  of  the 
Skylark,      v 

The  gentlemen  were  delighted  with  the  yacht, 
and  explored  her  above  and  below,  while  the 
skipper  and  his  crew  were  hoisting  the  mainsail 
and  weighing  the  anchor.  In  a  few  moments 
Bobtail  took  his  place  at  the  helm ;  the  fresh 
breeze  struck  the  mainsail  as  the  skipper  hauled 
in  the  sheet,  and  the  Skylark  heeled  over,  gathered 
headway,  and  went  off  like  an  arrow  shot  from 
a  bow. 

"  See  here,  Captain  Bobtail ;  you  won't  upset 
us  —  will  you?"  said  one  of  his  passengers  as 
the  yacht  heeled  down,  when  she  caught  the 
breeze. 


236  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  O,  no,  sir.  I  mean  to  keep  her  right  side 
up,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  mean  to  do  so  ;  but  can 
you  do  it?" 

44  To  be  sure  I  can." 

"  She  tipped  pretty  badly  then." 

"  That  was  nothing.  She  will  go  over  ever 
so  much  farther  than  that  without  putting  her 
scuppers  under.  She  had  not  got  her  bearings 
then.  Now  hoist  the  jib,  Monkey,"  shouted 
Bobtail. 

44  Hold  on,  Captain  Bobtail ! "  said  one  of  the 
gentlemen.  "  Don't  you  think  you  have  sail 
enough  on?  It  blows  fresher  than  I  thought  it 
did." 

44  It's  just  a  whole  sail  breeze.  She  will  carry 
her  jib  without  winking,  and  go  along  as  steady 
as  a  lady  on  the  sidewalk,"  laughed  Bobtail,  who 
concluded  that  his  passengers  were  not  accus- 
tomed to  boats,  especially  when  the  wind  blew. 

"  We  are  going  ten  miles  an  hour  now,"  sug- 
gested the  second  gentleman. 

44  Not  seven,  sir.  We  will  try  the  jib ;  and 
if  you  don't  like  it,   we  can  take  it  in  again." 

Monkey  had  hoisted  the  jib,  and  it  was  flap- 


THE  WRECK  OE  THE  PENOBSCOT.  237 

ping  and  pounding  furiously,  —  making  a  noise 
which  was  rather  trying  to  the  nerves  of  the 
gentlemen.  The  skipper  seized  the  lee  sheet, 
and  luffing  up  the  boat,  flattened  down  the  sail 
to  its  proper  place,  for  he  was  obliged  to  run  a 
short  distance  to  the  northward  in  order  to  clear 
some  vessels  at  anchor.  Having  passed  these, 
the  sheets  were  started,  and  the  Skylark  went 
off  before  the  wind.  The  sea  was  not  heavy 
so  far  in  shore,  but  it  was  exciting  sailing,  and 
the  passengers  kept  silence,  watching  the  swift 
motion  of  the  yacht.  In  a  short  time  they  were 
accustomed  to  the  situation,  and  began  to  talk, 
though  in  rather  subdued  tones  at  first.  They 
seemed  to  regard  the  skipper  with  a  feeling  of 
awe,  and  realized  that  their  lives  were  in  his 
keeping.  They  knew  little  or  nothing  about  a 
boat,  and  did  not  feel  quite  at  home  with  such 
lively  sailing.  The  confident  manner  of  the  young 
skipper,  his  perfect  command  of  the  situation,  his 
pleasant  speech  and  laugh,  reassured  them.  When 
the  yacht  had  passed  North-east  Point  the  course 
was  changed  to  the  north-east,  and  the  sheets 
hauled  in,  so  that  the  Skylark  had  the  wind  a 
little  abaft  the  beam.     This  was  her   best  point 


238  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB 

in  sailing,  and  she  soon  exhibited  her  best  speed. 
She  heeled  over  so  that  her  scuppers  often  went 
under.  Bobtail  kept  her  just  far  enough  from 
the  land  to  get  the  full  force  of  the  wind,  but 
not  far  enough  to  be  shaken  up  by  the  waves, 
which  beat  heavily  on  La  Salle  Island,  east  of 
them. 

44  This  is  lively  —  isn't  it,  Howe?"  said  one 
of  the  gentlemen. 

"It  is  the  smartest  sailing  I  ever  saw,"  replied 
Mr.  Howe.  "  You  seem  to  know  what  you  are 
about,  Captain  Bobtail." 

"  I  think  I  do,  sir,"  answered  the  skipper.  M  I 
have  been  in  a  boat  ever  since  I  was  born,  and 
I  can't  remember  the  time  when  I  couldn't  sail 
one." 

"  I  would  give  a  hundred  dollar  bill  if  I  could 
sail  a  boat  as  well  as  you  can,"  said  Mr.  Jones. 

"  So  would  I,"   added  Mr.   Howe. 

"  I  will  tell  you  all  I  know  about  it  for  noth- 
ing," laughed  the  skipper.  "  I  don't  pretend  to 
know  much,  but  somehow  I  always  get  along. 
Won't  you  take  the  helm,  sir,  and  try  your  hand 
at  it?" 

"  No,  not  now;  I  should  rather  begin  when  it 
is  not  quite  so  lively,"  replied  Mr.  Jones. 


THE   WKECK    OF    THE    PENOBSCOT.  239 

"  It  is  easy  enough.  She  will  almost  steer 
herself.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  run  for  that 
point  of  land,   about  eight  miles  ahead." 

"Eight  miles  —  is  it?"  asked  Mr.  Howe,  con- 
sulting his  watch. 

"  About  eight  from  here.  It  is  just  ten  from 
the  point  astern  of  us." 

44  It  is  exactly  twelve  o'clock  now.  Let  us 
see  how  long  it  takes  us  to  go  eight  miles." 

"  I  can  tell  you  now,  sir,"  laughed  Bobtail. 
44  It  will  take  us  just  forty-eight  minutes." 

44  Good,  my  lad  !  I  will  time  you.  If  it  takes 
forty-nine,   you  are  no  prophet." 

44 1  don't  expect  to  tell  within  a  minute  ;  but  I 
guess  I'll  steer  myself,  if  you  are  going  to  whittle 
me  down  as  close  as  that." 

Bobtail  began  to  be  very  exact  in  his  steering 
and  sailing.  He  started  the  sheets  a  couple  of 
inches,  and  watched  the  point  ahead  very  closely. 
Ten  miles  an  hour  was  fast  sailing  for  a  boat 
of  the  size  of  the  Skylark ;  but  he  knew  she 
would  do  it  if  she  was  well  handled.  The  two 
gentlemen  kept  looking  at  their  watches,  and  as 
the  distance  diminished  they  declared  she  would 
make  the  point  in  half  an  hour ;   but  distances 


240  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

are  very  delusive  on  the  water,  and  when  half 
an  hour  had  elapsed,  they  thought  that  five  min- 
utes more  would  bring  the  boat  up  with  the 
headland.  Bobtail  watched  his  sails,  and  "  steered 
small."  In  forty  minutes  he  found  that  he  should 
make  the  point  a  little  too  soon,  and  he  let  out 
the  jib-sheet  a  little,  so  that  the  sail  did  not 
draw  full. 

"  Forty-five  minutes  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Jones, 
"  and  we  are  off  the  point." 

44  But  we  are  not  up  with  it,  sir,"  replied  Bob- 
tail, hauling  in  the  jib-sheet  again. 

"  You  are  cutting  it  fine,  Captain  Bobtail," 
added  Mr.  Howe. 

44  Of  course  I  meant  abreast  of  the  point,  and 
when  it  lies  just  abeam,  we  shall  be  up  with  it. 
Here  we  are,  sir  !  " 

44  Forty-eight  minutes  to  a  second  !  "  ejaculated 
Mr.  Jones,  as  he  showed  his  watch  to  the  skipper. 

44  Lower  the  jib,  Monkey ! "  shouted  Bobtail. 

44 1  did  not  think  you  could  hit  it  so  closely  as 
that,"   said  Mr.  Howe. 

44  Well,  sir,  I  couldn't  if  you  hadn't  told  me 
the  time  every  few  minutes,"  laughed  Bobtail. 
44 1  bamboozled  you." 


THE  WRECK  OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  241 

»  How  ?  " 

"  I  should  have  made  the  point  in  three  quar- 
ters of  an  hour  if  I  hadn't  let  out  the  jib-sheet. 
I  lost  the  three  minutes  on  purpose." 

"  But  why  do  you  lower  the  jib  here?  "  asked 
Mr.   Jones. 

"  We  will  try  the  fish  here.  Ready  with  the 
anchor,   Monkey  !  " 

"All  ready,"  replied  the  Darwinian. 

Bobtail  threw  the  yacht  up  into  the  wind,  and 
as  soon  as  she  had  lost  her  headway,  he  gave  the 
order  to  let  go  the  anchor.  Monkey  had  got  out 
the  fishing  gear  and  opened  the  clams  on  the 
passage  up,  so  that  the  passengers  threw  over 
their  lines  immediately.  They  did  not  have  a 
bite  for  some  time,  and  Monkey  threw  over  a 
line.  It  had  hardly  run  out  before  he  had  a  fish, 
and  pulled  in  a  good-sized  cod. 

"How's  that?"  said  Mr.  Howe.  "I  haven't 
had  a  nibble  yet." 

"Perhaps  you  don't  fish  right,  sir,"  suggested 
Monkey,  with  one  of  his  apish  grins,  as  he  took 
the  gentleman's  Hue,  and  found  that  the  sinker 
was  not  within  twenty  feet  of  the  bottom. 
"  That's  what's  the  matter,  sir.  Drop  the  line 
16 


242  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB 

down  till  the  sinker  touches  bottom ;   then  pull 
up  about  a  fathom." 

The  two  passengers,  following  these  instruc- 
tions, began  to  pull  in  cod  and  haddock  very 
rapidly,  and  Monkey  had  all  he  could  do  to  bait 
their  hooks,  and  take  off  their  fish. 


THE  WRECK  OP  THE  PENOBSCOT.  243 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  DISCHARGE. 


"  T     OOK  here,  Howe  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Jones, 

I  J  tugging  with  all  his  might  at  his  line  ;  "I'm 
pulling  up  the  bottom  of  Penobscot  Bay,  as  true 
as  you  live  !  " 

"Don't  do  that,  sir,"  shouted  Bobtail,  merrily. 
"  We  shall  get  aground  if  you  do." 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Howe. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Mr.  Jones,  still  hauling 
away  at  Ins  line,  to  which  some  immense  dead 
weight  seemed  to  be  attached.  "It  must  be  a 
whale." 

"No,  sir;  pull  away,"  said  Monkey,  laughing; 
"you  have  got  hold  of  your  grandmother." 

"  My  grandmother  !  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  pull  away,  and  you  will  see  her  in  a 
minute." 

After  much  tugging,,  for  the  fish  was  not  at  all 


244  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"gamey,"  lie  hauled  up  the  strangest  looking  fish  he 
had  ever  seen,  though  Bobtail  and  Monkey  were 
entirely  familiar  with  the  specimen.  The  hook, 
drawing  upon  his  mouth,  so  distended  it,  that  its 
appearance  was  not  unlike  the  face  of  an  old 
woman  with  a  cap  on.  The  fish  was  a  large  scate, 
not  less  than  three  feet  across  the  back.  The 
gentlemen  had  never  seen  one  before,  and  he  was 
hauled  upon  the  deck  to  enable  them  to  examine 
him. 

Half  an  hour's  fishing  satisfied  the  passengers, 
as  there  was  a  tub  full  of  cod  and  haddock  to 
show  for  their  success.  After  the  gentlemen  had 
fully  satisfied  their  curiosity,  the  scate  was  thrown 
overboard.  The  anchor  was  weighed,  the  jib 
hoisted,  and  the  Skylark  continued  on  her  voyage 
to  Belfast.  Monkey  dressed  a  couple  of  the  nicest 
cod,  and  then  washed  down  the  deck.  The  Dar- 
winian was  then  required  to  take  the  helm,  and 
Bobtail,  sacrificing  his  dignity  as  the  skipper  of  the 
craft,  went  below  and  assumed  the  duties  of  cook 
and  steward.  He  pared  and  sliced  a  large  quantity 
of  potatoes,  for  Mr.  Jones  had  declared  that  he 
was  already  as  hungry  as  a  bear.  These  he  fried, 
and  put  them  in  the  oven  to  keep  them  hot.     The 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  245 

fish  was  cooked,  and  coffee  made.  The  table  had 
been  set  at  odd  moments,  and  in  less  than  an  hour 
dinner  was  ready.  Bobtail  was  invited  to  dine 
with  the  passengers,  and  he  was  warmly  com- 
mended for  his  culinary  skill. 

"  That's  the  best  dinner  I've  eaten  in  the  State 
of  Maine,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  with  enthusiasm. 

"  We  can  get  up  a  pretty  good  dinner  on  board 
of  the  Skylark,"  added  the  proud  skipper.  "  The 
cook  isn't  much  on  puddings  and  pies,  but  on  the 
heavy  grub  he  can  do  as  well  as  the  next  man." 

"  I've  drank  worse  coffee  than  yours  at  a  first- 
class  hotel  in  New  York,"  said  Mr.  Howe. 

"  I  can  give  you  a  chowder  for  supper,  if  you 
like,"  added  the  cook. 

" 1  like  the  fried  fish  best." 
"  Perhaps  we  can  give  you  something  different." 
The  skipper  and  the  passengers  went  on  deck. 
Bobtail  relieved  the  crew  at  the  helm,  and  sent 
him  below  to  eat  his  dinner,  and  clear  away  the 
dishes.  The  gentlemen  lighted  their  cigars,  and 
declared  that  they  felt  perfectly  happy.  The 
Skylark  was  now  going  up  Belfast  Bay,  close- 
hauled,  but  still  laying  her  course. 

"  Now,  how   long  have  we  been  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Jones,  taking  out  his  watch.     "  Just  three  hours." 


246  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  But  we  spent  half  an  hour  of  it  in  fishing," 
suggested  the  skipper. 

"  Exactly  so,  and  we  have  made  the  run  in  two 
hours  and  a  half." 

Monkey  was  called  on  deck,  the  jib  taken  in, 
and  the  Skylark  ran  alongside  a  wharf,  where  she 
was  secured.  It  was  agreed  to  sail  for  Camden  on 
the  return  at  six  o'clock,  and  the  passengers  left 
the  yacht  to  explore  the  town.  The  skipper 
washed  and  "  slicked  up  "  as  well  as  he  could. 
Putting  on  his  bobtail  coat,  he  went  ashore,  to  call 
upon  Colonel  Montague.  After  some  inquiry  he 
found  the  house ;  and  it  was  easily  identified,  for  it 
was  the  finest  one  in  the  city.  The  visitor  found 
the  owner  of  the  Penobscot  smoking  his  cigar 
under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  where  rustic  chairs  had 
been  placed.  He  was  alone,  and  gave  the  young 
skipper  a  hearty  greeting. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Captain  Bobtail,"  said  he, 
warmly,  shaking  the  hand  of  the  boy.  "  I  did  not 
expect  a  visit  from  you  quite  so  soon,  but  I'm  none 
the  less  glad  to  see  you." 

"I  brought  a  couple  of  gentlemen  up  in  the 
Skylark,  and  thought  I  would  call  upon  you  while 
they  were  looking  over  the  place." 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  247 

"  I'm  glad  you  did.  Grace  and  Mrs.  Montague 
will  be  very  glad  to  see  you.    I  will  call  them." 

"  Not  yet,  if  you  please,  sir.  I  want  to  tell  you 
what  a  scrape  I  got  into  first ;  and  then  I  don't 
know  that  you  will  want  them  to  see  me,"  replied 
Bobtail,  blushing. 

"A  scrape?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  I  hope  you  haven't  been  doing  anything 
wrong." 

"  They  say  I  have,  but  I  have  not.  I  am  as 
innocent  as  you  are,  sir.  I  thought  I  would  come 
up  and  tell  you  about  it,  as  I  was  here.  Mother 
did  not  send  me." 

"She  did  not?" 

"  No,  sir ;  she  was  rather  opposed  to  my  saying 
anything  to  you  about  the  scrape." 

"  Sit  down,  Captain  Bobtail,  and  tell  me  all 
about  it,"  said  the  colonel,  in  kindly  tones,  though 
there  was  an  anxious  expression  on  his  face. 

Little  Bobtail  told  the  whole  story  about  the 
letter  and  the  five  hundred  dollar  bill. 

"  And  your  mother  paid  this  same  bill  to  Mr. 
Gilfllian  ?  "  asked  Colonel  Montague,  very  much 
troubled. 


248  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  Yes,  sir.  The  squire  wanted  to  know  where 
she  got  the  bill,  and  she  won't  tell,"  added  Bobtail. 

"  She  won't  tell !  "  echoed  the  colonel ;  and 
there  was  an  expression  of  relief  in  his  face. 

"  She  won't  give  even  the  slightest  hint ;  and 
because  she  wouldn't  explain  it,  Squire  Gilfilian 
caused  her  to  be  arrested.  They  said  that  both  of 
us  will  be  sent  to  the  state  prison  for  stealing  this 
money." 

"That's  bad." 

"  I  know  it  is,  sir ;  but  I  didn't  take  the  letter  ; 
and  I  know  mother  came  honestly  by  the  money." 

"  I  know  she  did,  too,"  added  the  colonel. 
"  When  does  this  examination  take  place  ?  " 

"  It  was  postponed  till  next  Tuesday,  at  ten 
o'clock." 

"Very  well,  Captain  Bobtail.  I  know  where 
your  mother  obtained  the  money." 

"  You,  sir ! "  exclaimed  Bobtail. 

"  I  do ;  and  I  will  be  in  Camden  next  Tuesday 
to  tell  all  I  know  about  it." 

"  Thank  you,  sir  ;  you  are  very  kind." 

"  Of  course  I  shall  not  let  your  mother  be  con- 
victed of  stealing.  I  know  nothing  about  the 
letter;  and  therefore  I  can  do  nothing  for  you, 
Captain  Bobtail." 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  249 

"  If  you  clear  my  mother  you  will  clear  me.  If 
we  can  only  tell  where  the  money  came  from,  we 
shall  be  all  right." 

"  Don't  give  yourself  any  uneasiness  at  all  about 
it.    I  will  certainly  be  present  at  the  examination." 

44  But  are  you  sure  you  know  where  my  mother 
got  the  bill,  sir?  "  asked  Bobtail. 

44  Certainly,  I  do  ;  and  she  came  honestly  by  it. 
But  as  this  is  her  affair,  I  don't  feel  at  liberty  to 
say  anything  about  it  yet." 

Little  Bobtail  was  confounded  by  this  sudden 
solution  of  the  mystery.  If  Colonel  Montague 
knew  where  his  mother  had  obtained  the  bill,  it 
was  plain  enough  to  him  that  he  had  given  it  to 
her  himself.  He  could  not,  for  the  life  of  him,  see 
why  this  gentleman,  wealthy  and  liberal  though  he 
was,  should  give  her  such  an  immense  sum  of  money. 
It  was  a  very  perplexing  problem,  and  he  could 
not  solve  it.  His  kind  friend  conducted  him  to 
the  house.  Grace  was  so  glad  to  see  him,  that  she 
actually  kissed  him  this  time ;  and  Bobtail  felt  as 
though  he  had  tumbled  into  a  cream-pot.  Mrs. 
Montague  was  very  demonstrative,  and  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Montague  was  more  dignified,  but  hardly  less 
cordial. 


250  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"Now  you  must  stay  with  us  all  night,  and  all 
to-morrow,  and  all  next  week,"  said  Grace. 

"I  can't,"  laughed  Bobtail.  "I  brought  two 
gentlemen  up  in  the  Skylark,  and  I  must  sail  them 
back  to-night." 

"  Plague  take  the  two  gentlemen  !  "  said  Grace, 
pettishly.  "  Let  them  go  back  in  the  stage  or  the 
steamer." 

"  I  promised  to  take  them  back  to-night ;  and  I 
must  keep  my  promise,  you  know,  if  the  sky  falls," 
pleaded  the  young  skipper. 

"  Of  course  he  must,  Grace,"  added  her  father. 
"  But  he  will  come  up  some  other  time,  and  stay  a 
month." 

Little  Bobtail  spent  an  hour  in  the  elegant 
mansion,  whose  luxuriously  furnished  apartments 
filled  him  with  wonder  and  astonishment,  for  he 
had  never  seen  anything  half  so  fine.  He  prom- 
ised faithfully  to  come  some  other  time,  and  stay 
longer.  Grace  walked  with  him  down  to  the  wharf. 
The  Skylark's  passengers  were  on  board,  and  ready 
to  start,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  yacht  was  under 
way.  Grace  waved  her  handkerchief  to  the  gallant 
skipper,  as  the  Skylark  pulled  away. 

"Who  is  that  young  lady?"  asked  Mr.  Jones, 
as  Bobtail  returned  the  salute. 


THE  WRECK   OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  251 

"  That's  the  one  that  fell  off  the  rocks  at  Blank 
Island,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"  And  the  one  you  saved  !  Why  didn't  you  say 
so  before,  so  that  we  could  have  a  good  look  at 
her?" 

"I  didn't  think  of  it." 

"  She  is  a  rich  man's  daughter." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  her  father  is  as  rich  as  mud." 

"  And  one  of  these  days,  Captain  Bobtail,  you 
will  marry  her,  just  as  it  is  laid  down  in  the 
novels,"  laughed  Mr.  Howe. 

"  I  guess  not;  "  and  Bobtail  blushed  at  the  pre- 
sumptuous idea.  "  She  will  not  marry  any  poor 
fellow  like  me,  you'd  better  believe.  She  will  fish 
for  bigger  game  than  I  am." 

"  She  seems  to  like  you  very  well." 

"  O,  well,  that's  nothing  ;  she's  only  a  girl,  and 
I'm  only  a  boy,"  added  the  skipper. 

Much  to  his  relief,  the  'topic  was  changed.  The 
return  trip  was  quite  as  pleasant  as  the  other  had 
been,  and  at  nine  o'clock  the  Skylark  landed  her 
passengers  at  the  steamboat  wharf,  in  good  order 
and  condition,  and  very  much  delighted  with  the 
excursion.  The  skipper  received  the  eight  dol- 
lars for  the  trip,  and  paid  off  his  crew.      It  was 


252  LITTLE  EOBTALL,   OR 

Saturday  night,  and  Monkey  wanted  to  buy  some 
provisions  and  groceries  for  his  mother  with  the 
money  he  had  earned ;  but  he  proposed  to  return 
before  ten,  and  sleep  on  board,  as  usual.  Bobtail 
told  him  he  had  better  spend  Sunday  at  home,  for 
he  could  not  pay  him  when  the  yacht  did  not  go 
out.  The  Darwinian  was  willing  to  sleep  on  board 
without  pay. 

"  Did  you  see  Colonel  Montague,  Robert?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Taylor,  as  he  went  into  the  house. 

"  Yes,  I  saw  him ;  and  he  promised  to  be  at  the 
examination  next  Tuesday.' ' 

"  What  did  he  say?'7 

"  He  said  he  knew  where  you  got  the  money, 
and  that  it  would  be  all  right ;  but  I  told  him  you 
didn't  send  me  to  him." 

"  What  else  did  he  say  ?  "  inquired  Mrs.  Taylor, 
anxiously. 

"That's  about  all.  He  took  me  into  the  house, 
and  treated  me  like  a  lord.  That's  the  handsom- 
est house  I  ever  went  into  ;  "  and  Bobtail  described 
the  glories  and  the  beauties  of  the  mansion. 

"  Of  course,  after  what  you  have  done,  they  feel 
very  grateful  to  you." 

"  I  suppose  so  ;  but,  mother,  I  can't  keep  that 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  253 

confounded  bill  out  of  my  head,"  continued  Bob- 
tail. "  I  conclude,  if  Colonel  Montague  knows 
where  you  got  it,  he  gave  it  to  you  himself." 

"  He  must  explain  that  himself." 

"  Of  course  he  gave  it  to  you.  You  saw  him 
on  board  of  the  Penobscot,  the  day  before  I  was 
taken  up." 

"  You  had  better  not  say  anything  more  about 
it,  Robert." 

"But  why  should  he  give  you  such  a  pile  of 
money  ?  "  persisted  the  boy. 

"  I  didn't  say  he  gave  it  to  me." 

"  I  know  he  did." 

"  Well,  the  less  you  say  about  it,  the  better." 

"  If  that  is  the  bill  which  that  Slip  wing  sent  in 
the  letter,  I  should  like  to  know  where  Colonel 
Montague  got  it." 

"I  don't  know  anything  at  all  about  that,"  re- 
plied Mrs.  Taylor. 

The  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  en- 
trance of  Ezekiel.  He  was  sober,  because  he  could 
obtain  no  liquor.  He  had  spent  the  clay  in  search- 
ing for  the  contraband  cargo.  He  had  been  upon 
Negro  Island,  and  explored  North-east  Point,  and 
all  the  surrounding  country,  but  he  could  find  no 


254  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

vestige  of  the  cases.  He  wanted  to  talk  with 
Bobtail,  and  he  was  very  gentle  and  conciliating 
in  his  tones  and  manner.  After  beating  about  the 
bush  for  a  long  time,  he  so  far  disregarded  the  in- 
structions of  Captain  Chinks,  as  to  ask  him  what 
he  had  done  with  the  cargo  of  the  Skylark. 

"  I  see  you  have  been  talking  with  Captain 
Chinks,"  said  Bobtail.  "  When  any  one  claims  the 
boat,  I  am  willing  to  talk  with  him,  but  I  can't  say 
a  word  before  that  time  ;  "  and  the  young  skipper 
abruptly  left  the  house,  and  went  on  board  of  the 
yacht. 

He  had  scarcely  seated  himself  in  the  standing- 
room  before  a  gentleman  from  the  hotel  came 
alongside  in  a  boat,  and  wanted  to  engage  the 
yacht  for  the  next  clay. 

"  To-morrow  will  be  Sunday,"  replied  the 
skipper. 

"  I  know  it ;  but  I  must  leave  on  Monday,"  said 
the  applicant. 

"  I  don't  engage  her  for  Sundays,  sir." 

"  It  is  the  only  time  we  have." 

"  I  can't  help  it,  sir." 

"  But  we  want  to  go  down  to  Rockland  to 
church." 


THE   WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  255 

"  I  can't  let  her  go  out  on  Sunday.  I  want  to 
go  to  meeting  myself,  and  to  Sunday  school." 

The  gentleman  begged  hard,  but  Bobtail  was  as 
resolute  as  the  case  required ;  he  would  as  soon 
have  thought  of  setting  the  Bay  View  House  on 
fire,  or  robbing  the  bank,  as  of  going  out  in  a  boat 
for  pleasure  on  Sunday.  The  applicant  offered 
him  ten  dollars,  then  twelve,  and  at  last  fifteen,  if 
he  would  take  the  party  out ;  but  he  refused  to  go 
for  any  sum  that  could  be  named,  and  the  gen- 
tleman departed,  with  some  hard  words  about 
fanatics,  and  declared  that  he  would  not  hire  the 
boat  on  a  week  day  if  he  could  not  have  -her  on 
Sunday. 

At  an  early  hour  Bobtail  turned  in,  with  the 
feeling  that  he  had  done  his  duty,  though  fifteen 
dollars  was  a  large  sum  to  sacrifice.  He  might 
lose  some  of  his  engagements  on  other  days  by  his 
observance  of  the  Sabbath,  but  he  would  as  soon 
have  thought  of  robbing  the  bank,  or  setting  the 
Bay  View  House  on  fire,  for  fifteen  dollars,  as  of 
running  the  Skylark  on  Sunday  for  that  sum.  He 
was  satisfied  with  himself,  after  he  had  faithfully 
considered  the  subject,  and  confident  that  there 
were  good  people  enough  to  make  the  yacht  pay 
without  wounding  his  own  conscience. 


256  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OK, 

He  went  to  church  and  to  Sunday  school  the 
next  day  ;  and  the  services  never  seemed  to  do 
him  so  much  good  as  after  the  sacrifice  he  had 
made. 

A  party  was  ready  for  him  on  Monday,  and 
though  the  weather  was  rainy  and  foggy,  —  as  it 
sometimes  is  at  Camden,  —  he  made  his  eight 
dollars,  and  his  passengers  were  entirely  satisfied. 
A  party  wanted  the  boat  on  Tuesday;  but  of 
course  he  could  not  go  out  until  after  the  exami- 
nation. At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  the 
Penobscot  dropped  her  anchor  in  Camden  harbor, 
and  Colonel  Montague  immediately  went  on  shore 
in  the  barge.  An  hour  later  the  defendants  and 
the  witnesses  had  assembled  at  the  office  of  Squire 
Norwood. 

"  We  have  our  witness  here,"  said  Mr.  Simon- 
ton,  with  one  of  his  pleasantest  and  blandest  smiles 
—  "Colonel  Montague." 

The  justice  bowed  to  the  distinguished  witness, 
and  requested  Squire  Gilfilian  to  produce  the  five 
hundred  dollar  bill,  which  was  promptly  done. 
Squire  Norwood  then  rehearsed  the  evidence  which 
had  been  given  at  the  former  hearing.  The  letter 
had  been  left  on  Mr.  Gilfilian's  desk :  it  had  dis- 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  257 

appeared,  and  the  bank  bill  it  had  contained  was 
paid  to  Mr.  Gilfilian  by  Mrs.  Taylor,  to  cancel  a 
mortgage  on  her  husband's  house.  One  of  the 
defendants  had  denied  all  knowledge  of  the  letter 
after  he  put  it  on  the  desk,  and  the  other,  refusing 
to  explain  where  she  had  obtained  the  bill,  had 
been  arrested  as  a  party  to  the  crime,  or  as  acces- 
sory to  it. 

"  This  is  the  bill,"  continued  Squire  Norwood, 
handing  it  to  Colonel  Montague,  who  examined  it 
for  a  moment.  "  Have  you  any  knowledge  of  that 
bill?" 

"I  have." 

"  Do  you  identify  it?" 

"Fully.  I  gave  this  bill  to  Mrs.  Taylor  last 
Thursday  afternoon,  about  sunset,  on  board  of  my 
yacht." 

This  evidence  produced  a  decided  sensation 
among  the  spectators.  Squire  Gilfilian  sprang  to 
his  feet,  and  Captain  Chinks,  who  was  toying 
with  his  pocket-knife,  turned  as  red  as  a  red 
cabbage. 

44  On  what  account  did  you  pay  Mrs.  Taylor  five 
hundred  dollars,  Colonel  Montague?"  demanded 
Mr.  Gilfilian. 

17 


258  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB 

"  She  was  in  my  employ  many  years  ago.  She 
came  on  board  of  my  yacht  last  Thursday,  and 
told  me  her  husband  would  lose  his  house  if  a 
mortgage  upon  it  of  five  hundred  dollars  was  not 
paid;  that  the  mortgage  was  already  foreclosed, 
and  the  house  was  to  be  advertised  for  sale. 
Under  these  circumstances,  I  loaned  her  the  money 
to  save  her  from  being  turned  out  of  house  and 
home,"  replied  Colonel  Montague,  deliberately, 
but  with  more  agitation  than  the  case  seemed  to 
warrant. 

"  You  are  confident  that  this  is  the  same  bill?  " 
added  Squire  Norwood. 

"  Perfectly  confident ;  I  declare  upon  oath  that 
it  is  the  same  bill." 

"  Now,  Colonel  Montague,  where  did  you  obtain 
this  bill  ?  " 

"  At  Bar  Harbor,  Mount  Desert." 

"Of  whom?" 

"  I  have  really  forgotten  the  name  of  the  gentle- 
man, but  he  came  to  Mount  Desert  in  a  small  yacht, 
and  had  a  very  rough  passage.  He  was  quite  sick, 
and  told  me  he  was  disgusted  with  yachting  in  a 
small  craft.  He  had  just  sold  his  boat  for  half  her 
cost,  and  had  received  this  five  hundred  dollar  bill 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  259 

in  payment  for  her,  which  he  wished  me  to  change 
for  him,  and  I  gave  him  smaller  bills  for  it." 

"  Do  you  know  the  boat  he  sold?"  asked  Mr. 
Simonton. 

"  I  never  saw  her,  that  I  am  aware  of." 
Squire  Norwood  ordered  Mrs.  Taylor  to  be  dis- 
charged ;  Squire  Gilfilian  suggested  that  Bobtail  was 
the  purchaser  of  the  yacht,  but  it  was  proved  that 
he  had  not  been  absent  from  Camden  even  an  hour 
before  the  time  when  Colonel  Montague  obtained 
the  bill,  and  he  was  also  discharged.  When  the 
examination  was  finished,  Captain  Chinks  quietly 
stole  out  of  the  office,  evidently  dissatisfied  with 
the  result.  Little  Bobtail  was  warmly  congratu- 
lated by  all  his  friends,  old  and  new,  on  the  issue, 
and  he  was  hastening  away,  in  order  to  take  out 
his  party  in  the  Skylark,  when  Mr.  Hines  stopped 
him. 


260  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 


CHAPTER   XV. 

A  TRIP  TO  BAR  HARBOR. 

"  A  RE  you  engaged  to-day,  Bobtail  ?  "  asked 
jLJL  Mr.  Hines,  who  was  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Brooks,  the  deputy  sheriff. 

"  Not  exactly,  sir.  Two  gentlemen  at  the  Bay 
View  wished  me  to  take  them  out  in  the  Skylark, 
but  I  told  them  I  didn't  think  I  could." 

"  If  you  are  not  engaged,  I  want  you  and 
your  boat  for  two  days,"  added  the  custom-house 
official. 

"  Another  party  wanted  me  to-morrow ;  but 
of  course  I  couldn't  say  anything  when  I  expect- 
ed to  be  sent  to  the  state  prison  by  this  time." 

"  I  must  have  the  boat  for  a  couple  of  days, 
Bobtail.  I  won't  say  where  we  are  bound,  and 
you  need  not  mention  that  I  am  going  with  you," 
continued  Mr.  Hines,  '  as  he  discovered  Squire 
Gilfilian  and  Captain  Chinks  talking  together  on 


THE  WEECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  261 

the  sidewalk.  u  You  shall  be  paid  for  the  use  of 
the  boat  at  your  usual  rate,  and  I  shall  be  ready 
in  about  an  hour.     Mr.  Brooks  will  go  with  us." 

Little  Bobtail  wondered  what  was  going  to  be 
done  now,  as  Mr.  Hines  sheered  off  and  hastened 
to  the  hotel ;  but  he  had  no  time  to  consider 
before  Squire  Gilfllian  called  him.  He  was  not 
quite  willing  to  believe  that  the  distinguished 
lawyer  wished  to  convict  him  of  a  crime,  but  he 
thought  he  was  very  zealous  in  his  work. 

"  Bobtail,  I  am  not  quite  satisfied  about  this 
business,"   said  the  squire. 

"  I  am,   sir,"  replied  the  young  skipper. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  added  the  lawyer,  with  a 
smile.  "  You  ought  to  be.  There  seems  to  be 
some  connection  between  the  boat  you  say  you 
picked  up  and  the  bill  which  was  stolen  from 
my  letter." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  that,"  said 
Bobtail. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  picked  that 
boat  up?"  asked  Captain  Chinks,  sharply. 

"  I  do  mean  to  say  so." 

"  I'll  bet  a  hundred  dollars  she  is  the  boat 
that  was  bought  with  that  money." 


262  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

"  I  think  it's  very  likely  ;  but  I  didn't  buy  her 
with  it,"  replied  Bobtail. 

"  But  you  got  some  man  to  do  it  for  you.  The 
boat  didn't  turn  up  in  Camden  harbor  till  a  week 
after  the  money  was  lost." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  that ;  but  if 
you  want  to  take  me  up  again,  I'm  ready,"  an- 
swered Bobtail,  smartly. 

"  We  don't  want  to  take  you  up.  We  only 
want  to  know  who  stole  that  letter.  Your  bring- 
ing that  boat  here,  and  no  one  claiming  her,  look 
a  little  suspicious  —  that's  all,"  added  Squire 
Gilfllian. 

"  But  I  never  was  in  Bar  Harbor,  where  the 
boat  was  bought,  in  my  life,"  pleaded  Bobtail. 

"  You  might  have  got  some  man  to  buy  her  for 
you." 

"  I  might,  but  I  didn't." 

"  You  seem  to  be  using  the  boat  just  as  if  she 
were  your  own." 

"  I  told  Captain  Chinks  I  was  ready  to  give  her 
up  whenever  the  owner  came  for  her  ;  and  she 
is  advertised  in  the  Camden  Herald  and  the  Rock- 
land Gazette." 

"  That's  a  blind,"  said  Captain  Chinks.     "  But 


THE  WRECK  OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  263 

I'm  going  to  look  the  thing  up.  I  was  in  the 
squire's  office  when  that  letter  came,  and  by  and 
by  somebody  will  say  I  took  it." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  but  you  did,"  added  Bob- 
tail, though  the  suspicion  had  never  before  en- 
tered his  mind. 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  the  man  with  a  doubtful 
reputation,  his  face  flushing. 

"  I  don't  say  you  did ;  and  I  don't  know  any- 
thing at  all  about  it." 

"  Don't  be  saucy,  Bobtail,"  interposed  Squire 
Gilfilian. 

"  I  have  just  as  much  right  to  say  he  took  the 
letter,  as  he  has  to  say  I  took  it.  He  had  just  as 
much  to  do  with  it  as  I  had ;  and  he  was  in  the 
office  when  I  left  it." 

"  But  you  went  back  again,  you  rascal !  "  said 
Captain  Chinks,   angrily. 

"No,  I  didn't  go  back  again." 

"  You  left  the  office  before  I  did,  but  you  over- 
took me  on  the  road  to  the  Portland  steamer 
wharf.  You  went  back  again  ;  I  know  you  did  !  " 
stormed  the  captain. 

"  I  didn't  go  back." 

"Well,  where  were  you  all  that  time?" 


264  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  I  went  into  a  shop  and  bought  some  ginger- 
bread and  cheese,  and  I  can  prove  it,  too." 

u  Didn't  you  hear  me  tell  the  postmaster  that 
I  expected  a  letter  with  some  money  in  it,  the 
day  that  letter  came  ?  "  asked  the  squire. 

"No,  sir;    I  did  not." 

"  I  told  the  postmaster  what  I  expected  when 
I  asked  him  to  send  me  the  letter.  You  were  in 
the  office  then,  Bobtail." 

"  No,  sir ;  I  didn't  see  you  at  all  that  day.  I 
wasn't  in  the  post-office  half  a  minute  before  the 
letter  was  given  to  me,"  answered  Bobtail,  de- 
cidedly. 

Squire  Gilfllian  wished  to  make  it  out  that  the 
boy  knew  there  was  money  in  the  letter,  to  ac- 
count for  his  stealing  it ;  but  he  made  no  prog- 
ress in  his  effort. 

"  I'm  going  to  look  this  business  up,  anyhow," 
said  Captain  Chinks,  savagely.  "  I  want  your 
boat  for  two  days,  Bobtail." 

"  You  can't  have  her,"  replied  the  young  skip- 
per, decidedly. 

"  I  suppose  not,"  sneered  the  captain.  "  You 
don't  want  this  business  looked  up." 

"  Whether  I  do  or  not,  you  can't  have  the 
boat." 


THE  WRECK   OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  265 

"What's  the  reason  I  can't?" 

"  She  is  engaged ;  but  if  she  was  not  engaged, 
I  wouldn't  let  you  have  her." 

"  Steady,  Bobtail,"  interposed  the  squire.  "You 
are  a  little  too  crank  for  a  boy." 

"  I  can't  help  it.  The  last  time  Captain  Chinks 
was  in  the  boat,  he  pitched  into  me  ;  and  that's 
where  he  got  that  black  eye.  I  don't  want  any- 
thing more  to  do  with  him." 

"I'll  pay  for  the  boat,"  said  the  captain,  who 
seemed  desirous  at  this  point  to  change  the  subject 
of  the  conversation. 

"  You  can't  have  her.     She  is  engaged." 

"Who  is  to  have  her?" 

"  Two  or  three  parties  want  her.  I'm  going 
off  for  two   days." 

"Where  are  you  going?" 

"  I  don't  •  know.  The  folks  didn't  tell  me 
where." 

"  Who  are  the  folks  ?  V  demanded  Captain- 
Chinks. 

"  It  don't  make  any  difference  who  they  are. 
But  I  haven't  time  to  stand  here  talking  all  day. 
If  you  want  anything  of  me,  I'm-  ready  to  face 
the  music." 


266  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  Captain  Chinks  wants  your  boat  to  investi- 
gate the  matter- of  the  letter,"  said  Squire  Gilfil- 
ian.  u  He  is  going  to  Bar  Harbor,  and  wants  the 
boat  so  as  to  find  the  person  who  bought  her,  for 
of  course  she  will  be  known  there.  You  had 
better  let  him  have  her." 

"  I  can't  let  him  have  her.     She  is  engaged." 

"  But  this  is  a  case  that  will  warrant  you  in 
breaking  your   engagement." 

"I  don't  think   so." 

"  Your  character  is  involved  in  this  matter ; 
and  it  is  for  your  interest  to  have  the  case  cleared 
up." 

"  I  don't  believe  Captain  Chinks  will  clear  it 
up.  I  know  more  about  him  than  some  other 
fellows  do,  and  I  don't  want  him  to  whitewash 
my  character.  I  can't  stop  any  longer,  sir,"  said 
Bobtail,  as  he  saw  Mr.  Hines  and  the  deputy- 
sheriff  watching  his  movements. 

Captain  Chinks  was  very  angry  at  the  boy's 
last  remarks,  and  began  to  storm  at  him.  Squire 
Gilfilian  tried  to  calm  him,  and  Bobtail  walked  off 
while  he  was  doing  so. 

"What's  the  matter,  Bobtail?"  asked  Mr. 
Hines,  when  the  boy  joined  him  in  the  office  ot 
the  hotel. 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  267 

"  They  are  trying  to  make  it  out  now  that  I 
bought  the  Skylark  with  the  money  taken  from 
the  letter,"  answered  the  skipper,  as  he  proceeded 
to  give  the  substance  of  the  conversation  with  the 
squire  and  Captain  Chinks. 

"  Then  the  captain  is  going  to  Bar  Harbor — is 
he  ?  "  laughed  Mr.  Hines.  "  I  hope  he  will  go. 
I  may  want  to  use  him  there." 

"  Are  you  going  to  Bar  Harbor,  sir  ?  "  asked 
Bobtail. 

"  That's  where  we  are  bound." 

"  But  I  am  not  a  pilot  beyond  Sedgwick.  I 
have  been  there,  but  never  to  Mount  Desert,"  said 
the  skipper. 

u  No  matter,  my  lad  ;  I'm  a  pilot  to  Bar  Harbor, 
and  it's  quite  time  you  learned  the  way  there," 
replied  Mr.  Hines.  "  Now  get  ready  as  fast  as 
you  can,  Bobtail,  and  don't  say  where  you  are 
going  or  who  is  going  with  you ;  for  I  don't 
believe  Captain  Chinks  would  go  to  Bar  Harbor 
if  he  expected  to  meet  me  there." 

The  skipper  purchased  some  provisions  and 
stores  for  the  yacht,  which  Monkey  had  sailed 
up  to  the  wharf  at  the  head  of  the  harbor,  as  he 
had  been  instructed  to  do.     Bobtail  sent  word  to 


268  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

his  mother  that  he  should  be  gone  two  or  three 
days,  and  went  on  board.  But  his  passengers 
did  not  appear,  and  he  waited  impatiently  for 
them.  Captain  Chinks  was  loafing  about  the 
wharf,  and  Bobtail  concluded  that  this  was  the 
reason  they  did  not  come.  The  captain  was  evi- 
dently curious  to  know  who  were  to  go  in  the 
Skylark.  After  waiting  half  an  hour,  a  boy 
brought  a  note  to  the  skipper.  It  was  from  Mr. 
Hines,  desiring  him  to  sail  at  once,  and  to  stand 
up  towards  North-East  Point.  He  obeyed  his 
written  order,  and  beyond  the  point,  a  boat  with 
his  passengers  came  off  from  the  shore.  Mr. 
Hines  and  the  deputy  sheriff  went  below,  so  as 
not  to  be  recognized  by  any  persons  in  the  boats 
which  were  sailing  about  in  the  vicinity.  The 
skipper  laid  his  course  for  the  northern  point  of 
Deer  Island,  and  the  Skylark  went  off  flying  on 
her  cruise. 

"  I  began  to  think  you  were  not  coming,"  said 
Bobtail  to  Mr.  Hines,  who  sat  near  the  cabin  door. 

"  We  couldn't  get  on  board  at  that  wharf  with- 
out being  seen  by  everybody ;  and  Captain  Chinks 
was  watching  us,"  replied  the  custom-house  offi- 
cial.     "  Mr.    Philbrook   drove    us    round    to   the 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  269 

point,  where  we  got  a  boy  to  bring  us  off.     Are 
there  any  boats  near  you,   Bobtail  ?  " 

"  Not  a  single  one,  sir.  There  is  a  lot  of  mack- 
erel catchers  half  a  mile  to  the  southward  of  us, 
and  the  Portland  steamer  is  coming  round  the 
point." 

"All  right,"  said  Mr.  Hines,  taking  a  seat  in 
the  standing-room  opposite  the  skipper.  "  Has 
Captain  Chinks  any  boat  fit  to  go  to  Mount  De- 
sert in  ?  " 

"  He  had  one  a  while  ago,  but  I  haven't  seen 
her  lately.     I  don't  know  where  she  is  now." 

"Do  you  know  the  boat?" 

"  Yes ;   I  should  know  her  a  mile  off." 

"  I  think  we  shall  find  her  at  Bar  Harbor," 
laughed  Mr.  Hines. 

"  I  shouldn't  be  surprised,  for  I  begin  to  see 
the  daylight  shining  through  this  business,"  added 
Bobtail,  his  eyes  flashing. 

"  What  do  you  see  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  know  who  stole  that  letter,  and  how 
the  five  hundred  dollar  bill  happened  to  go  down 
to  Bar  Harbor." 

"We  shall  know  before  we  get  back." 
-••-**  What  do  you  suppose  Captain  Chinks  wanted 


270  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

to  go  to  Bar  Harbor  in  the  Skylark  for  ?  "  asked 
Bobtail. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  am  afraid  if  you  had 
gone  with  him  you  would  never  have  come  back 
again  ;  for  you  have  spoiled  all  his  plans.  He 
will  take  the  steamer  to-morrow  morning  at  Rock- 
land for  Bar  Harbor.  But  we  shall  have  time  to 
look  the  matter  up  before  he  arrives,  if  the  breeze 
holds." 

Fortunately  the  wind  did  hold,  and  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening  the  Skylark  reached  her 
destination.  The  breeze  was  steady,  but  light, 
and  the  passage  was  a  delightful  one  through  the 
narrow  channels  among  the  islands.  The  skipper 
got  up  a  nice  dinner  of  beefsteak,  green  corn,  and 
tomatoes,  which  Mr.  Hines  declared  was  equal  to 
the  table  at  the  Bay  View ;  and  this  was  no 
equivocal  compliment. 

"That  is  Captain  Chinks's  boat,"  said  Bobtail, 
as  he  pointed  to  a  craft  at  anchor  near  the  steam- 
boat wharf. 

"  I  thought  we  should  find  her  here,"  replied 
Mr.  Hines.  "  He  doesn't  sail  that  boat  alone  — 
does  he  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  he  has  a  nephew  that  lives  with  him  ; 
but  he  has  gone  to  Boston." 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  271 

"  Are  you  sure  of  that  ?  " 

"  Captaiu  Chinks  says  he  has  ;  that's  all  I  know 
about  it." 

"  How  old  is  the  nephew  ?  " 

"  Almost  twenty-one." 

"  In  my  opinion  that  nephew  is  here,"  added 
the  custom-house  official. 

"That's  so!"  exclaimed  Bobtail,  as  the  Sky- 
lark passed  the  captain's  boat.  "  There  he  is 
noAv.—  Hallo,  Ben!" 

"  Is  that  you,  Bobtail?  Where  did  you  pick 
up  that  boat  ?  " 

"  Don't  let  on,"  interposed  Mr.  Hines  ;  and  the 
skipper  did  not  answer  the  question. 

"Say!     Where  d'ye  get  her?"  shouted  Ben. 

"  She  isn't  mine." 

"  He  knows  all  about  her.  Keep  out  of  sight, 
Mr.  Brooks.  He  knows  you,  but  not  me,"  con- 
tinued Mr.   Hines. 

The  Skylark  passed  out  of  hearing  of  Ben's* 
voice,  but  he  immediately  jumped  into  his  dory 
and  pulled  for  the  wharf.  Bobtail  ran  the  yacht 
up  to  the  landing-steps,  and  Mr.  Brooks  hastened 
on  shore,  so  that  Ben  Chinks  should  not  recognize 
him. 


272  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  Say,  Bob,  where'd  ye  get  this  boat  ?  "  asked 
Ben,  stepping  upon  the  deck  of  the  Skylark. 

"  She  don't  belong  to  me,"  replied  Bobtail. 

"  Don't  you  know  the  boat?"  inquired  Mr. 
Hines. 

"  Don't  I  know  her  ?  "  repeated  Ben. 

"  That's  the  question  I  asked." 

"  I  cal'late  I've  seen  her  before  ;  because  she 
came  into  Bar  Harbor  about  ten  days  ago,"  re- 
plied Ben,  cautiously. 

"  Exactly  so,"  added  the  custom-house  detec- 
tive ;  "  she  was  sold,  and  your  uncle  or  father 
bought  her." 

" "Who  told  you  all  that?"  asked  Ben;  and 
he  did  not  seem  to  know  whether  or  not  to 
admit  the  truth  of  the  statement. 

The  detective  whistled  and  looked  about  him 
as  though  he  did  not  care  whether  Captain  Chinks 
bought  her  or  not. 

"Your  uncle  bought  her  dog  cheap,  too.  I 
think  Captain  Chinks  is  a  smart  man,"  added 
Mr.  Hines. 

"He's  some,"  grinned  Ben. 

"But  you  and  he  drank  a  little  too  much  of 
that  liquor." 


THE  WBECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  273 

"  What  liquor  ?    I  don't  drink  liquor." 

"  You  might  as  well  own  up.  Captain  Chinks 
and  you  were  a  little  boozy  that  day." 

44  What  day?" 

"  Why,  that  day  you  sailed  this  boat  up  the 
bay." 

44  I  didn't  drink  a  drop,"  protested  Ben,  warmly. 

44  Then  your  uncle  drank  enough  for  both  of 

you." 

44  No,  he  didn't,  nuther.  I  didn't  see  him 
drink  anything." 

44  Ah,  it's  no  use  to  deny  it,"  laughed  Mr. 
Hines,  as  though  he  was  only  indulging  in  a 
pleasantry  .- 

44 1  wouldn't  deny  it  if  it  was  true ;  but  it 
ain't." 

44  How  did  the  boat  get  adrift,  then  ?  "  queried 
Mr.  Hines.  44  Both  of  you  must  have  been  a 
little  set  up." 

44  Not  a  bit." 

44  The  boat  wouldn't  have  got  adrift  if  you  had 
either  of  you  been  all  right." 

44  Both  of  us  were  as  straight  as  a  gun." 

44  How  did  it  happen,   then?" 

44  It  was  blowing  like  Sam  Hill,  that  day, 
18 


274  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OK 

you  see  —  didn't  Captain  Chinks  tell  yon  about 
it?': 

"  He  didn't  say  you  were  both  sober." 

"  Well,  I  was  ;  and  if  he  drank  anything  that 
day,  I  didn't  see  him  do  it,'     persisted  Ben. 

"  But  what  in  the  world  did  you  want  to  land 
your  stuff  in  that  place  for  ?  " 

"What  place?     What  stuff?"  demanded  Ben. 

"  Those  cases  of  brandy,  of  course.  It's  all 
right,  my  man.  Captain  Chinks  will,  be  down 
here  to-morrow.  Little  Bobtail  here  picked  up 
the  yacht,  and  took  her  into  Camden.  The  stuff 
was  all  landed  in  the  night,  so  that  only  two  or 
three  persons  know  anything  about  it  —  Little 
Bobtail,  myself,  and  a  friend  of  mine." 

"Who  is  he?" 

"  He's  a  friend  of  mine.  We  were  on  the  look- 
out for  this  lot  of  brandy,  and  we  took  it  off  Cap- 
tain Chinks's  hands,  so  that  he  won't  have  any 
trouble  in  getting  rid  of  it." 

"  Is  that  so  ?     Who's  the  other  man  ?  " 

"  We  don't  call  names  in  this  business,  you 
know,"  answered  the  detective,  mysteriously. 
"  But  I  can't  see  what  you  wanted  to  land  the 
stuff  in  that  place  for.      You  would   have  been 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  275 

trapped  if  you  had ;  for  there  is  a  sharp  detective 
over  at  Camden,  looking  out  for  cases  of  this 
sort." 

"  Sho !     Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  His  name's  Hines." 

"  Hines  ?     I  never  heard  on  him  before." 

"  He's  sharp." 

Bobtail  had  to  look  overboard  to  keep  from 
laughing. 

"Ketch  a  weasel  asleep!"  grinned  Ben. 
"  Me'n  my  uncle's  sharp  enough  to  whittle  skew- 
ers with  him.  When  he  ketches  Cap'n  Chinks, 
he'll  ketch  a  weasel  asleep,  you  bet !  It  was  the 
cap'n' s  notion  to  land  the  stuff  on  that  island, 
and  take  it  over,  a  little  at  a  time,  when  we  went 
out  fishing.  We  run  the  boat  aground  on  a 
beach.  You  see,  I  found  a  hole  in  the  rocks  — 
a  kind  of  cave  —  that  would  hold  the  hull  lot 
on't.  We  could  kiver  up  the  mouth  of  the  hole 
with  rocks,  so't  no  one'cl  ever  think  anything  was 
in  it.  The  boat  was  on  so  hard  we  couldn't  stir 
her,  and  we  went  up  to  take  a  look  at  the  hole. 
While  we  were  gone,  the  tide  riz,  and  the  wind 
bio  wed  the  boat  off.  The  cap'n  did  some  tall 
swearin'  about   that   time,  you'd   better   believe ; 


276  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

but  it  didn't  do  no  good.  The  boat  was  gone,  and 
we  couldn't  git  her.  It  was  just  dark,  and  I  cal'- 
lated  the  wind  would  drive  her  on  the  rocks,  and 
smash  her  all  to  pieces.  It  was  lucky  Bob  picked 
her  up,  for  she  might  'a  been  found  by  some  fel- 
ler who'd  made  mischief  but  of  that  stuff  in  the 
cabin." 

Bobtail  had  to  tell  the  story  of  the  picking  up 
of  the  Skylark. 

"  She  must  have  drifted  up  the  bay,  and  then 
down,  for  the  tide  turned  not  long  after  we  lost 
her,"  said  Ben.  "We  walked  up  to  Islesboro', 
but  we  didn't  dare  to  say  a  word.  The  cap'n 
went  over  to  Camden  in  the  packet,  and  I  came 
down  here.  I  took  our  boat  here,  and  with  a 
man  to  help  me,  cruised  all  round  Deer  Island 
and  Vinal  Haven,  to  see  if  I  could  find  the  Sky- 
lark; but  I  couldn't  hear  nothin'  on  her." 

"What  did  the  captain  give  for  this  boat?" 
asked  Mr.  Hines. 

"Five  hundred  dollars." 

"  Didn't  pay  for  her —  did  he  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  did  ;  cash  down.  The  man  he  bought 
her  of  's  up  at  one  of  the  hotels  now." 

"Is  he?" 


THE  WRECK  OP   THE  PENOBSCOT.  277 

"Yes,  he  is;"    and  Ben  described  the  house. 

"  If  he  has  any  more  such  boats  to  sell,  I  should 
like  to  buy  one  like  this  at  the  same  price.  But 
when  are  you  going  out   again?" 

"Out  where?" 

"  O,  I  understand  all  about  this  business ;  you 
needn't  roll  your  eyes  at  me,"  laughed  the  de- 
tective. "  I  know  all  about  it ;  and  when  Captain 
Chinks  runs  in  another  lot  of  brandy,  I  intend  to 
take  it  off  his  hands,  if  he  isn't  too  sharp  ;  and 
I  want  to  know  when  to  be  on  the  lookout 
for  it." 

"  O,  you  do  ?  "  grinned  Ben. 

"When  do  you  go?" 

"  I  donno ;  you  must  ask  the  cap'n.  When 
he  gets  a  letter  he  will  be  off." 

The  conversation  was  continued  till  it  was 
quite  dark,  and  then  Ben  went  back  to  his  boat. 
Little  Bobtail  laughed  till  his  sides  ached  at  the 
tactics  of  Mr.  Hines,  as  they  walked  up  to  the 
hotel,  or  boarding-house,  where  the  late  owner 
of  the  Skylark  lodged. 


278  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  CHASE. 


MR.  HLNES  and  Little  Bobtail  walked  up  to 
the  hotel.  The  former  had  possessed  him- 
self of  sufficient  evidence  to  convict  Captain 
Chinks  of  smuggling,  and  also  of  intense  stupidity 
in  employing  a  simpleton  like  Ben  Chinks  in  such 
a  dangerous  business,  though  rogues  and  villains 
almost  always  leave  a  screw  loose  somewhere. 

"  We  shall  make  a  good  case  of  it,  Bobtail," 
said  Mr.  Hines. 

"  I  could  hardly  keep  from  laughing  while  you 
were  pumping  Ben  Chinks,"  replied  the  skipper. 
"  The  idea  of  your  taking  the  stuff  off  Captain 
Chinks's  hands  !  " 

"  I  did  take  it  off  his  hands,  and  he  will  have  no 
trouble  now  in  getting  rid  of  it." 

"  I  wouldn't  have  said  anything  if  I  had  been 
Ben." 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE  .PENOBSCOT.  279 

"  Very  likely  you  would,  Bobtail ;  for  with  all  the 
information  I  have  obtained  from  you,  and  from 
other  sources,  I  spoke  by  the  book,  and  he  had 
every  reason  to  suppose  I  was  in  the  captain's 
confidence." 

"  But  do  you  really  think  Captain  Chinks  will 
come  down  here  ?  "  asked  Bobtail. 
44 1  am  almost  sure  of  it." 
44 1  should  stay  away,  if  I  were  him." 
44  He  must  come  to  unsnarl  the  tangle  he  has 
made   here,"   replied   the    detective.     44  He   must 
have  been  more  astonished  and  disconcerted  when 
Squire  Gilfilian  showed  him  the  bill  he  had  paid 
for  the  boat,  than  any  one  else  was.     Very  likely 
he  will  have  another  explanation  to  make  to  show 
how  he  came  by  it,  and  he  may  trace  it  back  to 
you  in  some  way.     But  we  will  keep  an  eye  on 
him." 

At  the  hotel  they  met  Mr.  Brooks,  but  the 
gentleman  who  had  sold  the  Skylark,  being  in 
feeble  health,  had  retired  early.  Nothing  could 
be  done,  and  Bobtail  returned  to  the  yacht,  while 
his  passengers  took  rooms  at  the  hotel,  and  slept 
like  a  rock  till  morning,  for  he  had  worked  hard  all 
day.     At  sunrise  the  next  morning  he  was  on  his 


280  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

feet  again.  The  Darwinian  had  more  talent  for 
sleeping  than  the  skipper  of  the  Skylark,  and  did 
not  turn  out  till  half  an  hour  later.  Bobtail  had 
scarcely  shown  himself  on  deck  before  Ben  Chinks 
pulled  to  the  yacht. 

"Say,  Bob,  who  is  that  man  with  you?" 
asked  he. 

"  You  must  ask  him  who  he  is  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  know  ?  " 

"  I  never  saw  him  till  a  few  days  ago.  In  his 
kind  of  business,  he  don't  always  tell  who  he  is. 
No  doubt  he  will  tell  you  before  night  who  he  is. 
What  have  you  been  doing  down  here  so  long  ?  " 
asked  the  skipper,  wishing  to  divert  the  conversa- 
tion into  some  other  channel. 

"  I  have  made  a  pile  of  money  taking  out  parties 
to  sail,  while  I'm  waiting." 

"  What  are  you  waiting  for  ?  " 

"Waiting  for  the  old  man.  Didn't  he  tell 
you?" 

"  No  ;  he  didn't  say  much  to  me." 

"  What  did  he  give  you  for  picking  up  the 
boat?" 

"  He  hasn't  given  me  anything  yet,"  replied 
Bobtail.  "  How  much  do  you  charge  a  day  for 
your  boat  and  two  hands  ?  " 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  281 

"  Five  dollars." 

44  I've  taken  some  parties  out  in  the  boat,  and  I 
have  been  charging  seven  and  eight  dollars  a 
day." 

"  That's  a  better  boat  than  the  Eagle.  If  I  had 
her  I  should  charge  eight  dollars  a  day.  But  how 
did  you  get  that  stuff  out  of  the  Skylark  ?  " 

"  I  ran  over  in  the  night,  and  landed  it  between 
one  and  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  no  one 
was  stirring  in  our  part  of  the  town.  I  hid  it 
away  in  the  attic,  and  this  man  took  it  away  in  the 
night,"  replied  Bobtail,  confining  himself  strictly 
to  the  facts,  though  of  course  he  was  no  less  guilty 
of  deception  than  if  he  had  told  a  number  of 
square  lies,  except  that  the  deception  was  in  the 
interest  of  justice. 

"  It  was  lucky  for  the  old  man  that  you  picked 
that  boat  up  ;  but  he's  mean  if  he  don't  give  you 
something  handsome,"  added  Ben. 

"  I  have  had  the  use  of  the  boat  ever  since  I 
picked  her  up." 

44  Well,  that's  somethin'.  There  comes  Mon- 
key. Does  he  know  anything  about  this  busi- 
ness ?  "  whispered  Ben. 

"Not  a  thing." 


282  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

This  was  a  sufficient  reason  for  saying  nothing 
more  about  it,  and  Ben  soon  returned  to  the 
Eagle.  After  breakfast,  Bobtail  went  up  to  the 
hotel,  where  his  passengers  lodged.  In  the  course 
of  the  forenoon,  the  deputy  sheriff  "interviewed  " 
Mr.  Gordon,  the  gentleman  who  had  sold  the  Sky- 
lark. He  was  sure  he  could  identify  the  man  who 
had  paid  him  the  five  hundred  dollar  bill.  When 
the  steamer  from  Portland,  which  touches  at 
Rockland,  arrived,  almost  everybody  went  down 
to  the  wharf,  Mr.  Gordon  among  the  number. 

"If  you  see  the  man  who  paid  you  the  bill, 
point  him  out,  if  you  please,  but  don't  say  any- 
thing about  it,"  said  Mr.  Brooks,  as  the  gang 
plank  of  the  steamer  was  run  out. 

"  There  he  is ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Gordon,  as 
Captain  Chinks  walked  from  the  boat  to  the 
wharf. 

The  deputy  sheriff  and  Mr.  Hines  kept  out 
of  sight.  Bobtail  had  been  sent  away  in  the  Sky- 
lark, that  she  might  not  attract  the  attention  of 
the  smuggler,  and  was  standing  off  and  on  a  mile 
or  more  from  the  shore. 

As  soon  as  Captain  Chinks  landed,  he  was 
greeted  by  Ben,  his  nephew,  who  was  doubtless 
glad  to  see  him. 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  283 

"  I  s'pose  you  are  tired  of  waiting  —  ain't  you, 
Ben?"  asked  the  captain,  who  wore  a  troubled 
expression. 

"  Not  a  bit  on't.  I've  been  makin'  five  dollars  a 
day,  right  along,  takin'  parties  out  to  sail,'* 
replied  Ben,  with  a  cheerful  grin  ;  "  but  I  had  to 
pay  a  boy  half  a  dollar  a  day  to  help  me." 

"  That's  pretty  well." 

"  Why  didn't  you  come  down  afore  ?  " 

"  Because  I  didn't  hear  anything  from  St. 
John ;  and  things  are  a  little  mixed  up  to 
Camden." 

"  Mixed !  Why,  I  thought  everything  had 
come  out  fust  rate.  You  got  the  Skylark  and  the 
stuff  back  as  slick  as  a  whistle." 

"  Who  told  you  so  ?  "  demanded  the  captain, 
with  a  startled  look. 

"  Why,  Little  Bobtail.  He's  here  in  the  Sky- 
lark, and  said  you  sent  him." 

Bobtail  certainly  had  not  said  any  such  thing. 
Ben  had  inferred  it  from  what  Mr.  Hines  had 
stated.  It  was  not  prudent  to  talk  of  these  mat- 
ters in  the  midst  of  so  many  people,  and  the  cap- 
tain and  his  nephew  hastened  on  board  of  the 
Eagle. 


284  LITTLE    BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  I  didn't  send  him,"  said  Captain  Chinks,  very 
much  perplexed. 

"  You  didn't  ?  " 

"  No  ;  the  young  villain  picked  up  the  boat,  but 
I  couldn't  do  anything  with  him." 

"  Sho  !  "  exclaimed  Ben,  who  began  to  be  wor- 
ried himself.  "  Bobtail's  here,  and  that  other 
man  with  him." 

"  What  other  man !  "  demanded  the  captain, 
savagely. 

"  That  man  that  took  the  stuff  off  your 
hands." 

"What  stuff!" 

"  Why,  the  liquor  that  was  in  the  Skylark." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Ben  ?  " 

"  Didn't  Bob  pick  up  the  Skylark  and  land  the 
stuff  in  the  night ;  and  didn't  you  sell  it  to  that 
other  man  ?  and  didn't  he  move  it  out  of  Bob's 
house  in  the  night  ?  " 

"  No  !  "  roared  Captain  Chinks. 

"  That's  what  they  said,  anyhow,"  added  Ben, 
stoutly. 

"  Who  said  so  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  man  that  took  the  stuff  off  your 
hands." 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  285 

"  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  Well,  don't  you  know  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't,"  gasped  Captain  Chinks. 

4t  I'm  sure  I  don't,  then.  He  wouldn't  tell  me 
his  name.  He  came  down  in  the  Skylark  with 
Bobtail  yesterday." 

The  gentleman  with  a  doubtful  reputation 
uttered  an  exceedingly  hard  and  naughty  ex- 
pletive, and  he  did  so  with  much  emphasis.  His 
face  was  very  red,  and  his  lips  quivered  with 
wrath. 

"  Have  you  been  talking  with  any  one  about 
this  business,  Ben  Chinks  ?  "  demanded  the  smug- 
gler, shaking  his  clinched  fist  in  the  face  of  his 
nephew. 

"  I  didn't  tell  him  nothin'  ;  he  told  me,  and  he 
said  he  took  that  stuff  off  your  hands,  and  was 
goin'  to  have  the  next  lot ;  he  said  you  ougthn't  to 
land  the  stuff  on  that  island,  and  wanted  to  know 
how  we  happened  to  let  the  boat  go  adrift." 

"  And  you  told  him  ?  "  gasped  the  captain. 

"  What  was  the  use  of  my  tellin'  on  him,  when 
he  knowed  all  about  it  ?  O,  he  said  you  and  I  had 
both  been  takin'  too  much.  He  was  kind  o' 
jokin',  but  I  stuck  to  it  that  we  was  as  sober  as  he 


286  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

was.  I  did  tell  him  how  the  boat  got  adrift ;  but 
he  told  me  all  the  rest." 

44  Ben,  you  are  a  fool !  " 

"  I  tell  you  he  knowed  all  about  it,"  whined  the 
nephew. 

"  You've  made  a  pretty  mess  of  it." 

"  I  didn't  do  it.  He  knowed  all  about  it  afore, 
and  I  s'posed  you  told  him." 

44 1  told  him  no  tiling.  I  never  said  a  word  to 
him.     Don't  you  know  the  man's  name  ?  " 

44  No,  I  don't.  He  wouldn't  tell  me,  nor  Bob 
nuther." 

44  Well,  I  know  who  he  is,"  groaned  Captain 
Chinks,  pounding  the  trunk  of  the  cabin  with  his 
fist/  and  grating  his  teeth  with -rage. 

44  Who  is  he?  " 

44  He's  a  custom-house  officer." 

44  Sho  !  you  don't  say  so  !  "  cried  Ben,  with 
horror,  for  he  regarded  a  custom-house  officer  in 
about  the  same  light  that  he  did  a  hangman. 

44  You've  told  him  all  about  it,"  added  the 
Captain. 

44 1  didn't  tell  him  no  thin'  ;  he  knowed  it  all 
before.' 

44  All  we  can  do  now  is  to  get  out  of  the  way. 
Where  is  this  man  ?  " 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  287 

"  I  don'no  ;  I  hain't  seen  him  to-day.  There's 
the  Skylark,"  replied  Ben,  pointing  to  the  yacht. 

"  Is  he  on  board  of  her  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  it  ?  " 

"  Sartain,  I  am.  I  see  Bobtail  start  off  in  her 
alone." 

"  We  must  get  out  of  the  way,  but  I -don't  know 
where  to  go  to,"  groaned  the  captain.  "  I  cal'late 
you've  ruined  me,  Ben." 

"I  didn't  do  it,"  protested  the  nephew.  "I 
keep  a  tellin'  on  you,  he  knowed  all  about  it  in  the 
fust  on't." 

"  Get  up  your  fore'n  mainsail.  We  must  get  out 
of  this  as  quick  as  we  can." 

"  You  can't  kerry  the  foresail.  It  blows  like 
Sam  Hill,  and  squally,  too." 

"  Hist  the  mainsail  then." 

This  sail  was  set,  but  the  moment  they  began  to 
hoist  it,  Mr.  Hines  made  the  signal  agreed  upon, 
by  waving  his  handkerchief  on  the  wharf,  for  the 
return  of  the  Skylark.  The  steamer  had  gone, 
and  most  of  the  people  had  left  the  wharf  by  this 
time.  Bobtail,  who  was  on  the  lookout  for  the 
signal,  saw  it  immediately,  and  headed  the  yacht 


288  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OB 

for  the  pier.  As  Ben  Chinks  had  remarked,  it 
blew  hard,  and  the  wind  came  in  heavy  flaws. 
The  Skylark  had  a  single  reef  in  her  mainsail,  and 
the  jib  was  fnrled,  but  even  with  this  short  canvas 
phe  flew  like  a  bird. 

"  There  goes  the  Eagle,"  shouted  Monkey  from 
the  forecastle. 

"  Who's  on  board  of  her  ?  "  askod  Bobtail. 

"  I  reckon  it's  Captain  Chinks  ;  h  looks  like  him." 

The  skipper  looked  at  the  boat  through  the  spy- 
glass, and  identified  the  captain. 

"He's  trying  to  get  away,"  said  he. 

"  What  for  ?  "  asked  Monkey,  who  was  in  bliss- 
ful ignorance  of  the  smuggling  operation  of  the 
captain. 

"  You  will  soon  know,"  replied  Bobtail. 

The  Eagle,  under  jib  and  mainsail,  was  standing 
out  of  the  hrorb^r,  and  the  Skylark  had  to  pass  her 
on  her  way  to  the  wharf.  Captain  Chinks  was  at 
the  helm  himself,  and  at  that  moment,  as  he  gazed 
at  Little  Bobtail,  he  was  the  maddest  man  on  the 
waters  of  Maine.  Both  boats  were  going  free,  and 
when  they  were  nearly  abreast  of  each  other,  and 
not  a  hundred  feet  apart,  the  captain  suddenly  put 
up  his  helm,  and   the   Eagle    darted  towards  the 


THE  WRECK  OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  289 

Skylark,  as  if  she  shared  the  spite  of  her  skipper, 
and  as  an  eagle  would  pounce  upon  a  skylark. 

"  Down  with  your  helm  !  "  shouted  Bobtail,  full 
of  excitement,  for  the  danger  of  a  collision  was 
imminent. 

If  the  Skylark  had  held  on  her  course,  she  would 
have  been  struck  amidships  by  the  bow  of  the 
Eagle ;  but  Bobtail  jammed  his  helm  hard  down, 
the  result  of  which  was  to  throw  the  yacht  up  into 
the  wind,  and  bring  her  alongside  the  other  craft. 
As  it  was,  the  Eagle's  bow  grated  along  the  quar- 
ter of  the  Skylark.  Bobtail  supposed  that  Captain 
Chinks  intended  to  board  the  }Tacht,  and  he  in- 
stantly seized  the  spare  tiller,  which  he  always 
carried  in  the  standing-room  when  it  blew  hard, 
and  stood  ready  to  "repel  boarders."  But  the 
captain  did  not  intend  to  capture  the  Skylark. 
Probably  he  intended  to  sink  her ;  but  his  purposes 
were  only  known  to  himself.  The  sails  of  the  Ea- 
gle were  still  full,  and  she  continued  on  her  course. 

"Keep  out  of  the  way  next  time!"  shouted 
Captain  Chinks. 

Bobtail  made  no  reply,  but  filled  away  again, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  was  at  the  wharf.     Mr.  Hines 
and  Mr.  Brooks  leaped  on  board. 
19 


290  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"After  him,  Bobtail,"  cried  the  detective,  ear- 
nestly, as  he  shoved  off  the  bow  of  the  boat. 

"  He  has  heard  all  about  it  from  Ben,  and  is 
going  to  run  away.     Hurry  up." 

The  Skylark  was  clear  of  the  wharf,  and  com- 
ing about,  was  headed  towards  the  Eagle. 

"Is  Captain  Chinks's  boat  fast?"  asked  Mr. 
Hines. 

u  Yes,  sir ;  but  it  blows  too  hard  for  her  to-day. 
She  don't  carry  sail  worth  a  cent,"  replied  Bobtail. 

"  How  is  it  with  the  Skylark  ?  " 

"  She  is  the  ablest  boat  I  know." 

"  Good  !     Then  we  have  the  advantage." 

u  Hoist  the  jib,  Monkey,"  shouted  the  skipper. 

"  Are  you  sure  she  will  carry  it  ?  It  blows 
heavy  outside,  and  the  wind  comes  in  flaws,"  added 
Mr.  Hines. 

"  I  know  her  like  a  book.  She  will  carry  her 
jib  and  mainsail  to-day,  but  we  have  one  reef  in. 
The  Eagle  has  two  miles  or  more  the  start  of  us ; 
but  we  will  give  her  a  sweat,"  said  Bobtail. 

"  She  is  hoisting  her  foresail  now." 

"  She  will  have  to  take  it  in  again  when  she  gets 
clear  of  the  land." 

With  her  jib  set,  the  Skylark  occasionally  put 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  291 

her  scuppers  under,  but  she  was  as  stiff  as  Mount 
Desert  itself,  and  only  heeled  over  just  so  far, 
under  any  flaw  that  came. 

"I  didn't  think  the  captain  would  run  for  it  so 
soon,"  said  Mr.  Hines.  "  He  didn't  even  go  to 
the  hotel,  where  a  letter  is  waiting  for  him.  It 
has  the  St.  John  postmark  upon  it,  and  I  know 
what  that  means  without  opening  it." 

44  He  tried  to  run  me  down,"  added  Bobtail. 

44 1  saw  him  do  it.  His  game  is  nearly  up.  I 
intended  to  arrest  him  when  he  came  down  from 
the  hotel,  but  he  took  the  alarm  from  what  Ben 
told  him." 

As  the  Eagle  ran  out  from  the  land,  it  was  evident 
that  she  could  not  long  carry  her  foresail.  It  was 
taken  in  Very  soon,  but  she  sailed  faster  without  it 
than  with  it.  The  Skylark  gained  rapidly  upon 
her.  The  water  —  Frenchman's  Bay  —  was  stud- 
ded with  islands,  but  Mr.  Hines,  who  had  taken  the 
helm,  was  perfectly  familiar  with  the-  navigation. 
As  the  race  began  to  be  a  desperate  one  for  Cap- 
tain Chinks,  he  dodged  in  among  the  islands, 
tempting  his  pursuer  to  make  short  cuts  over 
sunken  ledges ;  but  in  all  these  expedients  he 
failed.     The  Eagle  was  a  keel  boat,  and  drew  more 


292  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

water  than  the  Skylark,  so  that  wherever  the  for- 
mer went  the  latter  need  not  fear  to  follow.  At 
last  Captain  Chinks  appeared  to  have  given  up  the 
race,  and  Mr.  Hines  surmised  that  he  was  running 
for  a  landing-place  on  one  of  the  islands.  But  the 
Skylark  was  still  gaining,  and  was  now  almost 
abreast  of  the  Eagle. 

"  All  ready,  Mr.  Brooks,"  said  the  detective,  as 
the  bowsprit  of  the  sloop  came  up  with  the  quarter 
of  the  schooner. 

"  I'm  ready,"  replied  the  deputy  sheriff,  as  he 
went  forward  to  the  bow  of  the  yacht. 

"  Stand  by  the  sheets,  Bobtail,  for  I  don't  know 
what  he  will  do  next." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir !  "  responded  the  skipper.  "  Have 
a  fender  ready,  Monkey." 

"  All  right." 

In  a  moment  more,  the  forecastle  of  the  Skylark 
was  abreast,  on  the  weather  side,  of  the  Eagle, 
taking  the  wind  out  of  her  mainsail  in  part. 

"  Hard  down,"  shouted  Mr.  Brooks,  as  he  saw 
Captain  Chinks  jam  down  the  helm  of  the  schooner. 

Both  boats  came  up  into  the  wind  alongside 
each  other,  and  Monkey  was  busy  with  his  fender. 
The  deputy  sheriff  leaped  upon  the  deck  of  the 


THE  WHECK  OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  293 

Eagle,  and  Mr.  Hines,  giving  the  helm  to  Bobtail, 
followed  him.  The  skipper  permitted  the  yacht 
to  come  about,  and  she  went  clear  of  the  other 
boat. 

uYou  are  my  prisoner,  Captain  Chinks,' '  said 
Mr.  Brooks. 

"  What  for  ?  "  gasped  the  captain. 

"  For  stealing  that  letter." 

"  I  didn't  steal  it." 

"  That  remains  to  be  proved." 

"  We  ain't  in  Knox  County  now." 

"  Never  mind  ;  I  will  take  you  for  violating  the 
revenue  laws,"  added  Mr.  Hines,  as  he  took  the 
helm  of  the  schooner. 

"I  hain't  done  nothing,"  protested  Captain 
Chinks. 

"  We  will  go  over  to  Camden,  and  settle  that 
point  some  other  time." 

The  captain  was  obliged  to  give  it  up,  and  he 
groaned  in  bitterness  of  spirit.  To  be  charged 
with  stealing  the  letter,  and  with  violating  the 
revenue  laws  at  the  same  time,  was  more  than  he 
had  anticipated.  On  the  first,  if  convicted,  he  would 
be  sentenced  to  imprisonment,  and  on  the  other,  to 
pay  a  heavy  fine.  His  crimes  brought  loss  of 
liberty  and  loss  of  property. 


294  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

Bobtail  eased  off  his  main-sheet,  and  waited  for 
the  Eagle  to  come  up.  Mr.  Hines  had  already  de- 
cided to  return  to  Camden  in  Captain  Chinks's 
boat,  and  when  he  had  announced  his  purpose,  the 
Skylark  filled  away  again.  It  was  now  about 
noon,  and  as  the  wind  was  contrary  for  at  least 
half  the  way  back  to  Camden,  the  skipper  hardly 
expected  to  reach  his  destination  that  night.  The 
yacht  very  soon  ran  away  from  the  schooner,  and 
at  six  o'clock  had  made  half  the  distance.  She  had 
come  up  with  the  point  which  forms  the  south-east- 
ern point  of  the  town  of  Brooklyn,  where  she 
started  her  sheets,  and  ran  through  the  channel 
between  Deer  Island  and  Sedgwick. 

The  wind  was  still  unsteady,  coming  in  heavy 
flaws ;  but  now  it  was  beginning  to  haul  more  to 
the  southward.  This  change  was  favorable,  for  it 
enabled  the  Skylark  to  lay  her  course  for  Camden. 
But  an  awful  sea  was  rolling  in  from  the  ocean, 
and  the  yacht  jumped  like  a  galloping  horse.  The 
wind  freshened  into  a  gale  with  the  change,  and 
the  gusts  were  more  fitful  and  violent.  The  jib 
was  taken  in,  and  Monkey  was  thoroughly  ducked 
in  the  operation,  for  the  Skylark  occasionally 
slapped  the  waves  with  her  bowsprit.     Great  black 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  295 

clouds  were  rolling  up  off  to  seaward,  but  Bobtail 
was  confident  that  the  yacht  was  equal  to  any- 
thing. Under  the  lee  of  an  island,  the  mainsail 
was  close-reefed ;  but  she  flew  over  the  waves,  and 
the  skipper  hoped  to  reach  his  destination  by  nine 
in  the  evening.  At  eight  o'clock,  while  it  was 
still  light,  he  discovered  a  schooner  working  down 
the  bay  under  jib  and  reefed  mainsail,  which  he 
recognized  as  the  Penobscot. 


# 


296  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  WBECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT. 

"  nnHAT'S  the  Penobscot !  "  exclaimed  Bobtail, 

J_    as  soon  as  he  identified  her. 

"  She  is  taking  a  nasty  night  to  go  to  sea," 
added  Monkey. 

"  She  will  put  into  Rockland  or  Camden.  I 
suppose  the  colonel  is  in  a  hurry  to  get  to  New- 
port for  some  race.  He  told  me  yesterday  he 
should  sail  to-day." 

"  She  ain't  going  into  Camden.  If  she  was, 
she  wouldn't  be  out  there.  She's  right  off  the 
ledges,  and  if  she  don't  tack  soon,  she'll  be  on 
'em,"  said  the  Darwinian. 

"  I  think  she's  going  into  Rockland.  She  can 
make  it  in  one  more  stretch." 

"  She  can  get  in  behind  Owl's  Head,  and  lay 
as  easy  as  if  she  was  in  a  mill  pond." 

"  That's    an    awful    sea   out   there,   Monkey," 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  297 

said  Bobtail.  "  See  the  breakers  on  that  lower 
ledge.  If  I  was  the  captain  of  the  Penobscot,  I 
should  go  in  stays.     There  she  goes !  " 

At  this  moment  the  sails  of  the  large  yacht 
shook,  as  her  head  came  up  to  the  wind.  But 
the  next  instant  she  fell  off,  heeled  over,  and 
drove  ahead  again.  Bobtail  distinctly  heard  a 
shout  from  her,  though  she  was  a  mile  distant. 
He  watched  her  with  his  heart  in  his  mouth,  and 
his  worst  fears  were  realized  when  he  saw  her 
lift  her  bow  high  up  in  the  water.  She  had  run 
upon  the  ledge. 

"  By  gracious !  she  is  on  the  rocks ! "  cried 
Bobtail,  wild  with  excitement  and  anxiety. 

"  So  she  is !  "  gasped  Monkey. 

Then  came  a  shriek  in  the  tones  of  a  woman's 
voice,  whose  piercing  note  was  heard  above  the 
roaring  of  the  billows. 

"  That's  Mrs.  Montague,"  said  Bobtail.  "  Get 
your  warp-line  out,  Monkey.  We  have  got  some- 
thing to  do  to-night." 

The  Skylark  flew  on  her  mission  of  rescue, 
and  her  skipper  watched  the  Penobscot  Avith 
intense  interest.  Her  bow  rose  and  fell  at  every 
sea,  and  it  was   evident   that   she  was   crashing 


298  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR" 

her  timbers  at  every  motion.  In  five  minutes 
from  the  time  she  struck,  the  smaller  yacht  came 
up  with  her.  She  had  gone  upon  the  last  ledge 
of  the  series  that  extends  to  the  southward  from 
Islesboro'.  Bobtail  ran  to  the  west  of  the  ledges, 
and,  going  entirely  round  to  avoid  gybing,  he 
came  up  into  the  wind  close  under  the  stern  of 
the  Penobscot.  He  heard  her  planks  and  tim- 
bers grinding  on  the  rocks.  Monkey  heaved  the 
warp-line,  which  was  caught  by  the  sailors  on  board 
of  the  wreck.  The  mainsail  of  the  Skylark  was 
lowered. 

By  this  time,  though  the  waves  still  beat  over 
the  bow  of  the  Penobscot,  she  ceased  to  grind 
upon  the  rocks.  The  tide  was  going  out,  and 
less  of  the  weight  of  the  vessel  was  supported 
by  the  water,  and  as  the  volume  of  the  waves 
diminished,  their  power  lessened.  In  two  or 
three  hours  the  yacht  would  be  high  and  dry. 
She  had  gone  upon  the  ledge  in  a  direction 
diagonal  with  the  wind,  so  that  under  one  of 
her  quarters  the  water  was  comparatively  smooth. 
Bobtail  and  Monkey  heaved  on  the  warp-line 
till  they  brought  the  Skylark  alongside  this  lee 
quarter. 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE    PENOBSCOT.  299 

"No  time  to  lose,  sir!"  shouted  Bobtail  to 
Colonel  Montague,  who  was  supporting  his  wife 
and  daughter  on  deck,  for  the  cabin  was  flooded 
with  water.  "  I  shall  be  aground  in  half  an 
hour." 

"  Can  your  boat  weather  this  blow?"  asked 
the  colonel,  anxiously. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  she  can  stand  anything  that  any 
boat  can." 

Mrs.  Montague  and  Grace  were  assisted  on  board 
of  the  Skylark,  which,  even  in  this  sheltered 
place,  rolled,  pitched,  and  tugged  furiously  at 
the  warp-line.  The  colonel  and  another  gentle- 
man, whom  Bobtail  had  not  seen  before,  helped 
old  Mr.  Montague  down  to  the  rail  of  the 
Penobscot. 

"  You  go  first,  Tom,  and  help  him  down,"  said 
Colonel  Montague. 

The  sailing  master  of  the  Penobscot  also  took 
the  old  gentleman's  arm.  The  Hon.  Mr.  Monta- 
gue seemed  to  be  very  feeble,  and  he  was  certainly 
very  much  terrified. 

"  Put  your  arm  around  that  shroud,  Mr. 
Barkesdale,"  said  the  captain  to  the  person  whom 
the  colonel  called  Tom. 


300  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

Tom  Barkesdale  stood  upon  the  rail  then,  with 
his  left  arm  around  one  of  the  shrouds  of  the 
Skylark.  The  stern  of  the  Penobscot  was  down 
so  low  in  the  water,  that  it  was  not  a  long 
step  down  from  the  rail  to  that  of  the  smaller 
yacht.  Tom  took  the  hand  of  the  old  gentle- 
man as  he  stepped  down ;  but  at  that  instant 
the  warp-line,  which  held  the  bow  of  the  Sky- 
lark, snapped  in  twain,  and  her  head  swung  off. 
His  son  and  the  skipper  had  just  let  go  of  the 
old  gentleman,  and  Tom's  hold  was  wrenched 
away  by  a  jerk  of  the  boat.  Mr.  Montague  went 
down  between  the  two  craft. 

"  Merciful  Heaven !  "  cried  the  colonel.  "  Fa- 
ther is  overboard!" 

"  Throw  me  a  rope,"  yelled  the  sailing-master, 
as  he  dropped  into  the  water  and  caught  the 
old  gentleman  as  he  rose  after  sinking  once. 

Several  lines  were  thrown  to  him,  and  with  so 
many  ready  hands  available,  they  were  both  drawn 
on  board  of  the  yacht  in  a  moment.  Though  the 
venerable  gentleman  had  received  a  terrible  shock, 
he  was  not  rendered  insensible.  The  bow  of  the 
Skylark  was  again  hauled  up  to  the  quarter  of 
the  Penobscot,  and  Mr.  Montague  was  safely 
transferred  to  the  cabin  of  the  small  yacht. 


THE  WRECK  OP  THE  PENOBSCOT.  301 

"  What  will  you  do,  captain  ?  "  asked  the  colo- 
nel of  the  sailing-master. 

"  I  will  stick  by  her  with  the  crew.  At  low 
tide  we  will  take  the  ballast  out  of  her,  and  float 
her  off  the  next  tide." 

"Are  your  men  willing  to  stay?" 

"  They  must  stay  ;  they  are  as  safe  here  as  on 
shore  ;  at  least  till  the  next  tide,  and  I  shall  be 
ready  to  float  her  off  by  that  time." 

Colonel  Montague  went  on  board  of  the  Sky- 
lark. A  couple  of  men  from  the  Penobscot  were 
sent  to  assist  in  working  her,  though  Bobtail  pro- 
tested that  he  had  not  the  least  need  of  them. 
The  close-reefed  mainsail  was  hoisted,  and  the 
Skylark  went  off  on  her  course.  By  this  time 
it  was  quite  dark,  but  the  light-house  on  Negro 
Island  was  a  sufficient  guide  to  the  skipper.  The 
yacht  rolled  fearfully,  and  to  keep  out  of  the 
trough  of  the  sea  Bobtail  headed  her  to  a  point 
south  of  his  destination.  In  an  hour  he  was  as 
near  the  main  land  as  it  was  prudent  to  venture 
in  the  night,  and  then  he  put  the  Skylark  before 
the  wind.  Before  eleven  o'clock  he  was  at  the 
wharf.  He  had  not  seen  his  passengers  since  they 
came  on  board. 


302  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  My  father  has  suffered  severely  from  his 
mishap,"  said  Colonel  Montague,  after  the  boat 
was  made  fast. 

"  I'm  sorry  for  it,  sir.  I  didn't  think  of  such  a 
thing  as  that  warp-line  breaking,"  replied  Bobtail. 

"  Of  course  it  was  not  your  fault.  You  have 
done  well  for  us,  and  I  have  no  fault  to  find  with 
you.  I  want  some  one  to  go  to  the  hotel,  and  tell 
the  landlord  to  send  a  coach,  for  my  father  cannot 
walk  up." 

"  Monkey  will  go ;  "  and  the  Darwinian  was 
on  his  way  in  a  moment. 

The  Hon.  Mr.  Montague  was  apparently  very 
ill.  The  cold  bath  and  the  shock  had  severely 
shaken  his  frame.  He  was  trembling  with  cold 
when  Bobtail  went  below,  and  Mrs.  Montague 
was  holding  his  head.  He  was  wrapped  up  in 
shawls,  coats,  and  all  the  clothing  available.  The 
lady  and  her  daughter  spoke  very  kindly  to  the 
young  skipper ;  but  they  were  too  much  disturbed 
by  the  condition  of  the*  old  gentleman  to  say 
much. 

"I  think  you  ought  to  have  a  doctor,  Ned," 
said  Tom  Barkesdale. 

"  Send  for  one  at  once,  then,"  said  the  colonel. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  303 

"What  are  you  going  to  do,  Edward?"  asked 
the  old  gentleman,  in  feeble  tones. 

"  I  have  sent  for  a  coach,  to  take  you  to  the 
hotel." 

"  I  want  to  go  home.     Can't  I  go  in  this  boat  ?  " 

"  It  blows  too  hard  to-night,  father." 

u  A  boat  is  easier  than  a  carriage.  Let  me  go 
home  in  this  boat,  when  the  wind  goes  down." 

"Then  we  had  better  not  take  him  on  shore," 
said  Tom.  "  We  can  make  up  a  good  bed  in  this 
cabin  for  him." 

"  Do,  Edward,"  groaned  the  old  gentleman. 

"  I  will  go  to  the  hotel,  and  get  everything  we 
need,"  added  Tom,  "  and  Bobtail  shall  go  for  the 
doctor." 

In  half  an  hour  the  skipper  returned  with  Dr. 
Estabrook,  and  the  coach  came  with  an  abundant 
supply  of  beds  and  bedding.  Mrs.  Montague  and 
her  daughter  went  up  to  the  Bay  View,  while  the 
gentleman  took  off  the  wet  clothes  of  the  sufferer, 
and  put  him  to  bed.  A  fire  was  made  in  the 
cook-room,  which  heated  the  cabin  when  the  door 
was  open.  The  doctor  prescribed  for  his  pa- 
tient, and  he  was  soon  made  more  comfortable. 
About  midnight  the  rain  began  to  fall  in  torrents, 


304  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

and  the  wind  howled  fearfully.  But  the  storm 
lasted  only  a  couple  of  hours,  and  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning  the  wind  came  fresh  from  the 
westward,  and  the  sky  was  clear.  The  change 
knocked  down  the  sea,  and  made  a  fair  wind  for 
Belfast.  Tom  Barkesdale  went  to  the  hotel  for 
Mrs.  Montague  and  Grace,  and  at  four  o'clock  the 
Skylark  sailed.  She  made  a  comfortable  passage 
of  it,  and  reached  the  town  in  three  hours. 

Mr.  Montague's  clothes  had  been  dried,  and  he 
was  dressed.  His  carriage  was  sent  for,  and  he  was 
conveyed  to  his  elegant  mansion.  His  family 
physician  superintended  his  removal.  He  had 
hardly  entered  the  house,  when  he  was  taken 
with  the  most  alarming  symptoms.  In  less  than 
half  an  hour  he  breathed  his  last,  and  there 
were  weeping  and  wailing  in  the  elegant  mansion. 
Death  comes  alike  to  the  rich  and  the  poor,  and 
invades  the  palace  as  well  as  the  hovel. 

Colonel  Montague  wept  like  a  child ;  the  strong 
man  was  shaken  by  the  throes  of  grief.  He  felt 
that  he  would  have  given  all  he  had  for  the 
consciousness  that  he  had  never  deceived  that 
kind  and  indulgent  father  who  lay  silent  in  death 
before  him.  An  hour  after  the  sad  event,  Tom 
Barkesdale  tried  to  comfort  his  friend. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  305 

"  I  would  give  the  world  if  I  had  never  deceived 
him,"  moaned  the  grief-stricken  son. 

"  It  was  all  for  the  best.  Your  father  has  passed 
away  full  of  years  and  honors.     It  is  well  as  it  is." 

"  No,  no,  Tom  !     It  was  all  wrong." 

"  You  have  only  saved  him  from  misery,  which 
might  have  killed  him  years  ago,  for  the  doctor 
says  he  had  a  disease  of  the  heart.  Don't  re- 
proach yourself,  Ned." 

"Where  is  the  boy  —  Robert?  "  he  asked  sud- 
denly. "  I  have  wronged  him  still  more.  Where 
is  he  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  I  haven't  seen  him  since  we 
left  the  boat." 

"  Go  for  him,  Tom.  Bring  him  back.  He  shall 
not  suffer  this  wrong  another  hour.  He  is  a  noble 
little  fellow,  and  I  am  proud  of  him.  Bring  him 
back." 

Tom  went  to  the  wharf  in  the  carriage,  but  the 
Skylark  was  three  miles  down  the  bay,  on  her  way 
to  Camden.  It  Avas  of  no  use  to  chase  that  boat,  and 
the  messenger  returned  to  his  weeping  friend. 

"Go  to  him,  Tom  ;  tell  him  all,  and  bring  him 
back,"   said   Colonel   Montague ;    and  his   friend 
took  the  next  steamer  for  Camden. 
20 


306  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

Little  Bobtail  had  sailed  as  soon  as  the  invalid 
was  landed,  for  he  was  anxious  to  be  at  home  when 
the  Eagle  arrived.  He  had  been  up  all  night, 
while  Monkey  had  slept  in  the  cook-room ;  and  as 
soon  as  the  Skylark  was  clear  of  the  harbor,  the 
skipper  gave  the  helm  to  the  Darwinian,  and 
turned  in.  He  was  sleeping  heavily  in  the  cabin 
of  the  yacht,  while  the  telegraph  wires  were  flash- 
ing all  over  the  state  the  intelligence  of  the  death 
of  the  Hon.  Mr.  Montague.  The  wind  was  light, 
so  that  the  Skylark  made  a  long  passage  ;  and 
Monkey  did  not  wake  the  skipper  till  the  yacht 
was  off  North-east  Point.  He  had  slept  five  hours, 
and  felt  like  a  new  man.  He  went  on  shore  as 
soon  as  the  boat  came  up  to  the  wharf,  and  ascer- 
tained that  the  Eagle  had  not  yet  arrived.  Walk- 
ing up  to  the  cottage,  he  found  his  mother  sitting 
on  the  front  doorstep,  in  the  shade,  sewing. 

"  Why,  Robert,  where  did  you  come  from?  " 

"From  Belfast  last." 

u  Did  he  die  before  you  got  there  ?  " 

"Die?     Who?" 

"  Why,  old  Mr.  Montague." 

"  He  isn't  dead." 

"  Yes,  he  is.    The  telegram  came  this  forenoon." 


THE  WKECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  307 

"  But  I  helped  him  on  shore  myself  at  seven 
o'clock  this  morning." 

"  He  died  at  half  past  seven,  the  despatch  says. 
And  you  didn't  know  it  ?  " 

"  No,  I  didn't.  That's  strange.  But  I  started 
for  home  as  soon  as  I  saw  him  in  the  carriage,  and 
slept  all  the  way  down." 

Mrs.  Taylor  had  not  seen  her  son  since  the  ex- 
amination at  the  office  of  Squire  Norwood,  but  she 
had  heard  that  he  returned  from  Mount  Desert 
late  at  night,  and  had  gone  to  Belfast  early  in  the 
morning.  Bobtail  had  begun  to  relate  his  adven- 
tures at  Mount  Desert,  when  Squire  Gilfilian  pre- 
sented himself  at  the  door.  It  was  known  now  that 
the  Skylark  had  been  to  Bar  Harbor,  with  Mr.  Hines 
and  the  deputy  sheriff  as  passengers.  The  young 
skipper  had  told  this  the  night  before,  but  nothing 
more  —  not  even  that  his  passengers  had  not  re- 
turned with  him.  The  squire  had  heard  this 
report,  and  he  was  anxious  to  know  the  result  of 
the  visit. 

"  Good  afternoon,  Mrs.  Taylor,"  said  the  law- 
yer. "  I  am  glad  to  find  your  son  here,  for  I  want 
to  talk  with  him.  But  I  wish  to  say  to  you,  in  the 
first  place,  that  I  don't  consider  that  mortgage 
fairly  cancelled.' ' 


308  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

"Why  not?  Didn't  I  pay  you  the  money?" 
asked  Mrs.  Taylor,  very  much  alarmed. 

"  You  did,  but  that  bill  was  already  mine.  Mr. 
Slipwing  sent  me  five  hundred  dollars,  and  I  have 
received  it  —  the  very  bill  he  sent.  From  you  and 
from  him  I  ought  to  have  a  thousand  dollars,  but  I 
have  only  half  that  amount." 

"  Am  I  to  lose  that  money?  "  demanded  the  poor 
woman. 

"  Well,  am  I  ?  "  echoed  the  squire,  with  a  bland 
smile.  "  If  my  horse  is  stolen,  I  take  him  wher- 
ever I  find  him,  and  whoever  has  bought  or  sold 
him." 

The  lawyer  was  talking  to  a  woman  knowing 
but  little  of  law  and  business,  and  he  was  doubt- 
ful himself  whether  he  could  claim  that  bill  after 
it  had  passed,  in  good  faith,  through  the  hands  of 
several  persons. 

"  I  don't  think  it's  right,"  protested  Mrs. 
Taylor. 

"Nor  I,  either,"  added  Bobtail.  "My  mother 
didn't  steal  it,  and  I  didn't  steal  it." 

"No  one  knows  who  did  steal  it,"  said  the 
squire.  "  Captain  Chinks  still  contends  that  you 
took  the  letter,  my  boy  ;  and  he  has  gone  down  to 


THE  WEECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.        809 

• 

Bar  Harbor  to  ascertain  how  the  bill  got  there. 
He  thinks  you  heard  of  that  boat,  and  sent  some 
one  down  to  buy  her.  He  means  to  look  up 
the  case." 

"  He'll  look  it  up  with  a  vengeance,' '  replied 
Bobtail.     "  It  is  already  looked  up." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  I  hear  that  you  have 
been  to  Bar  Harbor." 

"I  have." 

"Did  you  see  Captain  Chinks?" 

"  I  haven't  anything  to  say  about  it,"  answered 
Bobtail. 

"  Can't  you  tell  me  whether  you  saw  him  or 
not  ?  "  asked  the  squire,  in  his  cross-examination 
style. 

"  I  can,  but  I  would  rather  not.  Mr.  Brooks 
told  me  to  keep  still  about  it,  and  I'm  going  to 
do  so." 

The  squire  coaxed  and  threatened,  but  without 
effect. 

"  You  will  know  all  about  it  to-day  or  to-mor- 
row. There  comes  the  Eagle,  —  Captain  Chinks's 
boat,  Squire  Gilfilian.  He's  in  her,  and  he  will 
tell  you  all  you  want  to  know,  and  more  too, 
perhaps." 


310  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,  OR 

The  lawyer  was  not  in  good  humor,  though  he 
was,  in  the  main,  a  very  good  sort  of  man.  He 
did  not  like  to  have  a  boy  like  Little  Bobtail 
say  no  to  him. 

"  I  must  say,  Mrs.  Taylor,  it  looks  rather  black 
for  your  son.  Colonel  Montague  testifies  that  the 
bill  which  was  stolen  with  the  letter  was  paid 
for  a  boat  to  a  gentleman  at  Bar  Harbor.  Your 
son  comes  home  one  night  with  a  boat,  and  no 
one  knows  where  he  got  it,"  said  Squire  Gilfilian, 
sharply. 

"  He  told  where  he  got  it,  and  he  was  dis- 
charged at  the  examination  yesterday,"  replied 
Mrs.   Taylor,  smartly. 

"  We  shall  see  when  Captain  Chinks  gets 
back." 

"  I  think  you  will  see,"  added  Bobtail. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  Mrs.  Taylor,  I  shall  expect 
you  to  pay  the  mortgage  note,"  said  the  squire,  as 
he  walked  towards  the  railroad  wharf,  where  the 
Eagle  appeared  to  be  headed. 

Bobtail  soon  followed  him,  and  was  at  the  wharf 
when  the  Eagle  came  up  at  the  steps. 

"  So  you  have  arrived,  Bobtail,"  said  Mr. 
Hines. 


THE  WRECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  311 

"  I  got  in  at  eleven  o'clock  last  night,  and 
should  have  been  here  sooner  if  I  hadn't  stopped 
to  pick  up  the  Penobscot's  people,"  replied  the 
skipper  of  the  Skylark,  as  he  proceeded  to  de- 
scribe his  cruise,  and  tell  the  news  of  the  wreck, 
and  of  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Mr.   Montague. 

"And  so  you  have  been  to  Belfast  since?7' 

"  Yes  ;  and  been  back  some  time.  Where's 
Captain  Chinks  ?  Squire  Gilfilian  wants  to  see 
him,"  added  Bobtail,  as  the  lawyer  came  down 
the  steps. 

"  The  captain  is  below.  He  is  all  used  up,  and 
willing  to  confess  everything.  But  we  must  take 
him  down  to  Rockland  at  once,  and  we  will  go 
in  the  Skylark.     For  we  want  her  there." 

"She's  all  ready,  sir." 

"  Where's  Captain  Chinks  ?  "  demanded  the 
squire. 

The  captain  came  on  deck  when  he  heard  the 
lawyer's  voice.  He  was  pale  and  dejected.  The 
Eagle  had  anchored  under  the  lee  of  an  island 
during  the  storm,  and  Mr.  Hines  had  explained 
to  him  both  the  law  and  the  nature  of  the  tes- 
timony. The  detective  told  him  he  would  prob- 
ably get  off  easier  if  he  pleaded  guilty,  and  made 


312  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OB 

all  the  restitution  in  his  power.  The  captain  had 
about  concluded  to  do  so,  but  he  desired  to  con- 
sult his  counsel. 

"  It's  a  light  wind,  and  we  must  be  off  at  once," 
said  Mr.  Hines,  impatiently.  "  You  can  go  with 
us,  if  you  like,  Squire  Gilfilian,  but  I  can't  wait 
for  you  to  discuss  the  case." 

The  squire  was  willing  to  go  to  Rockland, 
and  in  half  an  hour  the  Skylark  was  standing 
down  the  bay. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  313 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ROBERT  BARKESDALE  MONTAGUE. 

"  ~Y"YTELL,  Captain  Chinks,  did  you  find  the 
?  ▼  man  who  paid  that  five  hundred  dollar 
bill  to  Colonel  Montague?  "  asked  Squire  Gilfilian, 
as  he  seated  himself  in  the  standing-room,  oppo- 
site his  client. 

"  I  didn't  look  for  him,"  replied  the  captain, 
studying  the  seams  in  the  deck. 

"  I  thought  that  was  what  you  went  down  there 
for.  You  told  me  that,  in  your  opinion,  Bobtail 
here  had  sent  some  one  down  to  Bar  Harbor  to 
buy  this  boat  with  the  money  taken  from  the 
letter,"  added  the  squire,  whose  "  fine  judicial 
mind  "  had  not  yet  grasped  the  truth.  "  I  don't 
see  any  other  way  that  this  bill  could  have  got 
to  Bar  Harbor." 

"  Mr.  Hines  and  I  saw  the  man  that  received 
the  bill  for  the  boat,"  added  the   deputy  sheriff. 


314  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

Captain  Chinks  looked  up  at  the  speaker,  as  if 
to  entreat  him  to  deal  gently. 

"  Well,  who  gave  him  the  hill  ?  "  demanded  the 
squire,  impatiently. 

"  The  captain  can  tell  you." 

"  How  can  he  tell  me  ?  He  didn't  see  the  man. 
Why  didn't  you  see  him,  captain  ?  " 

"  I  had  something  else  to  think  of,"  replied  the 
culprit,  with  the  most  woe-begone  expression  that 
ever  darkened  the  face  of  man.  "  It's  no  use  for 
me  to  try  to  beat  to  windward  any  more.  I  gave 
him  the  bill  myself,  Squire  Gilnlian.  That's  the 
truth." 

"  You !  "  gasped  the  lawyer. 

"  I  gave  it  to  him." 

"  That  can  be  proved,  for  Mr.  Gordon  identified 
him  as  he  came  off  the  steamer  at  Bar  Harbor," 
added  Mr.  Brooks. 

"  I  don't  deny  it,1'  said  the  captain,  meekly. 

"  But  where  did  you  get  the  bill  ?  "  asked  the 
squire. 

Captain  Chinks  did  not  answer  immediately.  It 
was  too  humiliating  to  tell  the  whole  truth,  and 
the  lawyer  seemed  to  be  very  slow  to  compre- 
hend it. 


THE  WRECK   OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  315 

"  I  had  no  more  notion  of  opening  that  letter 
than  I  had  of  flying,"  he  said,  at  last,  after  the 
squire  had  repeated  his  question. 

"  Did  you  open  it?  " 

"I'll  tell  you  just  how  it  was ;  but,  upon  my 
word,  I  didn't  mean  to  open  it.  Bobtail  came 
into  your  office  that  day  with  the  two  letters  in 
his  hand,  one  for  you  and  one  for  me.  He  gave 
me  one  of  them,  and  I  tore  it  open  without  look- 
ing at  the  address." 

44  Did  I  give  you  the  wrong  one  ?  "  asked  the 
skipper. 

44  You  did ;  and  that  was  what  made  all  the 
mischief,"  answered  the  captain,  wishing  to  les- 
sen his  guilt  if  possible. 

44 1  didn't  know  I  gave  you  the  wrong  one.  I 
had  no  reason  for  doing  so.  I  put  the  other 
on  the  desk,  as  you  told  me  to  do,"  explained 
Bobtail. 

44  Yes  ;  you  tossed  it  on  the  desk,  and  it  fell  with 
the  address  down.  You  went  out  then,  and  I 
found  the  letter  I  had  opened  was  for  Squire 
Gilfilian,  and  had  a  five  hundred  dollar  bill  in  it." 

44  There  was  no  harm  done  even  then,"  said 
the   lawyer.     44  If  you   had   given   it   to   me  and 


316  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

explained  the  mistake,  it  would  have  been  all 
right." 

"  That's  where  I  made  my  mistake,  squire.  I 
was  afraid  you  would  think  I  meant  to  steal  your 
money,  or  pry  into  your,  business,  and  I  put  the 
letter  into  my  pocket.  It  came  from  the  bank 
robbers,  and  I  didn't  suppose  you  would  believe 
any  such  letter  had  been  sent  to  you." 

u  I  didn't  till  the  man  identified  the  bill,"  re- 
plied the  squire.  "  Mrs.  Taylor  gave  me  the  bill 
in  the  morninig,  and  while  I  was  writing  her  re- 
lease, Mr.  Slipwing  came  into  the  office.  When 
the  woman  paid  me  the  money,  I  couldn't  help 
wondering  where  she  got  so  large  a  bill.  Hap- 
pening to  think  of  her  son's  connection  with  the 
letter,  it  occurred  to  me  that  he  had  opened  that 
letter.  Slipwing  described  the  bill  before  he 
saw  it,  so  as  fully  to  identify  it.  Of  course  I 
was  entirely  satisfied  then  that  Bobtail  had  stolen 
the  letter." 

"  I  don't  blame  you  for  thinking  so,"  said  the 
skipper. 

"  It  looked  like  a  plain  case  ;  but  it  is  singular 
how  that  bill  came  back  to  me.  Yon.  went  off  to 
Mount  Desert  that  day,  Captain  Chinks." 


THE  WRECK  OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  317 

"  Yes  ;  I  expected  a  lot  of  stuff  from  trie  prov- 
inces. I  went  to  Bar  Harbor,  and  bought  the 
boat." 

"  And  you  paid  the  bill  from  the  letter  for  the 
boat?  Now,  that  brings  up  another  question. 
The  bill  belonged  to  me,  and  I  claim  it.  What 
Mrs.  Taylor  paid  me  amounts  to  nothing." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  can  make  that  go,  Squire 
Gilfilian,"  said  Mr.  Hines.  "  If  I  mistake  not, 
there's  a  decision  the  other  way." 

u  I  shall  try  it,  at  any  rate,"  added  the  squire. 

"  No,  you  needn't,"  interposed  Captain  Chinks. 
t*  I  will  make  it  good  myself." 

"  That  will  settle  the  case,"  replied  the  squire, 
who  knew  that  his  client  had  the  means  to  do  so. 

"If  Mrs.  Taylor  must  make  good  the  loss  to 
you,  then  Colonel  Montague  must  make  it  good 
to  her,  and  Mr.  Gordon  to  the  colonel.  If  the 
payment  in  stolen  money  was  not  legal,  there  was 
no  sale  of  the  boat,  and  she  still  belongs  to  Mr. 
Gordon,"  continued  Mr.  Hines.  "  In  the  mean 
time  the  government  has  seized  her  for  violation 
of  the  revenue  laws,  and  the  case  is  decidedly 
mixed." 

"  I  will  pay  the  squire  the  five  hundred  dollars," 
added  the  smuggler. 


318  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

"  And  lose  your  boat  besides?"  queried  the 
squire. 

"  What's  the  use  ?  You  can't  fight  against  the 
government.  The  custom-house  officers  have  the 
boat  and  the  stuff." 

"  What  stuff?"  asked  the  squire. 

"A  lot  of  brandy  that  I  could  have  sold  for 
over  a  thousand  dollars,  which  didn't  cost  me 
four  hundred.  It  would  bring  fifteen  hundred 
at  retail." 

"O  ho  !  "  said  the  squire,  opening  his  eyes. 

"I'm  caught,  and  I  may  as  well  make  the  best 
of  it.  I  used  to  think  tins  sort  of  business  paid, 
but  I  don't  think  so  now.  I  shall  lose  my  boat, 
the  money  I  paid  for  the  stuff,  and  have  to  pay 
a  fine  of  a  thousand  dollars  besides.  That  makes 
me  about  two  thousand  out  —  half  of  all  I'm 
worth,  besides  my  farm ;  and  all  because  Little 
Bobtail  wouldn't  make  a  trade  with  me.  I  as 
good  as  offered  to  give  him  the  boat,  if  he  would 
return  the  stuff;  and  I  reckon  he'll  wish  he  had 
when  you  take  the  boat  away  from  him,  for  he  has 
been  making  money  with  her." 

"  No,  he  won't,"  said  Mr.  Hines,  decidedly. 
"  He  gave  the  information  that  led  to  the  seizure 


THE  WEECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  319 

of  the  goods,  and  his  share  of  the  fine  and  for- 
feiture will  be  at  least  five  hundred  dollars,  and 
he  can  buy  the  boat." 

"  Is  that  so  ?  "  exclaimed  the  skipper,  opening 
his  eyes.  "  I  had  no  idea  I  was  to  make  any- 
thing out  of  this  business.  But  I  am  in  love 
with  this  boat ;  and  if  I  get  her,  I  shall  be  the 
happiest  fellow  on  Penobscot  Bay." 

"  You  will  have  her ;  and  we'll  manage  it  so 
that  you  shall  have  the  use  of  her  till  she  is  sold," 
added  Mr.  Hines. 

Captain  Chinks  was  no  longer  a  man  of  doubt- 
ful reputation.  His  contraband  operations  were 
capable  of  proof  without  his  confession,  and  his 
reputation  as  a  dishonest  man  was  now  fully  estab- 
lished. The  Skylark  arrived  at  Rockland  in  a 
couple  of  hours.  The  United  States  deputy  mar- 
shal arrested  Captain  Chinks  ;  but  he  was  liberated 
on  bail  furnished  by  Squire  Gilfilian.  The  Sky- 
lark was  seized,  and  Mr.  Hines  appointed  keeper  ; 
and,  on  his  own  responsibility,  he  permitted 
Bobtail  to  have  the  use  of  her. 

The  detective  had  fully  sifted  the  captain's 
method  of  operating.  He  was  in  company  with 
a  "  Blue  Nose  ?'  fisherman,  who  used  to  run  the 


320  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

goods  down  to  the  coast  of  Maine,  where  his  part- 
ner took  them  into  his  boat,  usually  in  the  night, 
or  under  the  lee  of  some  uninhabited  island. 
Another  lot  was  on  its  way,  but  the  captain  con- 
cluded to  have  them  properly  entered,  and  paid 
the  duties. 

When  Bobtail  returned  from  the  custom-house 
in  Rockland  to  the  Skylark,  he  found  Mr.  Tom 
Barkesdale  on  board  of  her,  waiting  for  him.  This 
gentleman  had  come  down  to  Camden  in  the 
steamer,  and  finding  that  the  boy  had  gone  to 
Rockland,  he  obtained  a  team,  and  drove  to  that 
place,  where  he  found  the  Skylark  at  the  wharf. 
Monkey  did  not  know  where  the  skipper  had  gone  ; 
but  he  soon  ajDpeared  with  all  his  passengers,  for 
the  business  had  not  detained  them  more  than 
an  hour.  But  Mr.  Barkesdale  was  not  inclined 
to  "  tell  him  all  "  in  the  presence  of  so  many  per- 
sons. He  finally,  after  much  persuasion,  induced 
Bobtail  to  return  with  him  in  his  buggy,  while 
Mr.  Hines  sailed  the  Skylark  back  to  Camden. 
Nothing  but  the  assurance  that  the  business  was 
of  the  utmost  importance  could  prevail  upon  the 
skipper  to  leave  the  yacht ;  and  much  he  wondered 
what  that  business  could   be.     They  walked   up 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  321 

to  the  hotel  together,  but,  as  yet,  Mr.  Barkesdale 
said  nothing. 

"  I  think  you  have  worn  that  bobtail  coat  about 
long  enough,"  said  the  gentleman,  when  they 
came  to  Main  Street. 

"  I  have  a  better  suit  at  home." 

"  What  color  is  it  ?  " 

"  Blue,  sir." 

"  That  will  hardly  answer.  You  must  go  up  to 
Belfast  with  me,  and  attend  the  funeral  of  Mr. 
Montague." 

"I?" 

"  Yes  ;  the  family  are  all  very  much  interested 
in  you.  You  need  a  black  suit,  and  we  will  get 
one  here,"  added  Mr.  Barkesdale,  as  they  entered 
the  best  clothing  store  on  the  street. 

The  finest  suit  that  could  be  obtained  was  pur- 
chased ;  and  it  was  supplemented,  at  other  stores, 
with  a  cap,  nice  shoes,  black  kid  gloves,  and  other 
furnishing  goods.  Bobtail  protested  against  the 
gloves ;  he  did  not  want  any  gloves  in  summer  ; 
never  wore  them,  except  in  winter.  But  Mr. 
Barkesdale  said  he  must  wear  them  at  the  funeral, 
if  he  never  did  again. 

"  I  don't  see  why  I  should  be  rigged  up  in  all 
21 


S22  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OB 

these  togs,  to  go  to  the  funeral  of  a  man  I  never 
saw  but  twice  in  my  life,"  said  Bobtail,  as  they 
seated  themselves  in  the  buggy. 

"  You  don't  know  much,"  laughed  Mr.  Barkes- 
dale. 

"I  know  I  don't." 

"  You  don't  even  know  your  own  name." 

"  Everybody  calls  me  Little  Bobtail,  and  it 
wouldn't  be  strange  if  I  forgot  my  own  name," 
replied  the  boy. 

"  I'm  told  your  father's  habits  are  not  very 
good." 

"  Zeke  Taylor's  ?  He  isn't  my  father ;  he  is 
my  mother's  second  husband ;  and  my  father  died 
when  I  was  small." 

u  Your  mother  must  have  a  hard  time  of  it  with 
a  drunken  husband." 

''That's  so;  I  wish  slie  would  leave  him ;  and 
I  think  she  will,  for  he  don't  do  much,  and  spends 
all  he  gets  for  rum.  He's  ugly,  too,  and  tries  to 
get  her  money  away  from  her." 

"  Then  your  mother  has  money  of  her  own  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  there's  something  strange  about 
it,"  replied  Bobtail,  looking  into  the  face  of  his 
companion,  and  wondering  what  he  was  "  driving 


THE   WRECK   OF   THE   PENOBSCOT.  323 

at."     "  Zeke  says  she  has  money  hid  away  from 
him." 

"  Then  you  have  thought  of  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  can't  see,  for  the  life  of  me,  how  she 
supports  the  family." 

"  Well  you  don't  know  much  —  not  even  your 
own  name,"  laughed  Mr.  Barkesdale  again. 

"  I  know  that  my  father's  name  was  Wayland, 
and  bjr  rights  mine  ought  to  be  Wayland." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  of  that  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  am.  I  know  what  my  mother 
told  me.     I  was  born  in  the  Island  of  Cuba." 

"  That's  true,  but  not  the  rest  of  it." 
•  "  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Your  name  is  not  Wayland." 

"What  is  it,  then?"  asked  Bobtail,  amazed 
beyond  expression. 

"  Your  name  is  Robert  Barkesdale  Montague  — 
the  middle  name  after  me." 

"  You  don't  mean  so  !  " 

"Ido  ;  and  when  you  see  your  mother,  as  you 
call  her,  she  will  tell  you  the  same  thing." 

'•Isn't  she  my  mother?"  asked  Bobtail,  —  or 
rather  Robert,  as  we  shall  insist  upon  calling  him 
now,  —  with  a  gasp  of  astonishment. 


324  LITTLE   BOBTAIL,    OR 

"  She  is  not ;  she  is  a  very  worthy  woman,  but 
she  is  not  your  mother." 

"  Well,  who  is  my  mother  ?  " 

"  The  first  Mrs.  Montague,  of  course ;  she  died 
in  Cuba  when  you  were  only  a  few  months  old. 
Mrs.  Way  land  —  as  she  was  then  —  was  your 
nurse.  She  has  brought  you  up,  and  brought  you 
up  very  well  too,  for  it  appears  that  you  are  an 
honest,  good  boy,  noble,  brave,  and  intelligent." 

"But  what's  the  reason  I  never  knew  anything 
about  this  before  ?  "   asked  the  puzzled  youth. 

"I'll  tell  you ;  "  and  Mr.  Barkesdale  told  the 
story  which  is  related  in  the  first  two  chapters. 

"  I  supposed  I  had  a  mother,  but  no  father. 
It  turns  out  just  the  other  way,"  said  Eobert, 
rubbing  his  throbbing  head. 

"  And  your  father  is  one  of  the  best  men  in  the 
world.' r 

"Mrs.  Taylor  is  one  of  the  best  women  in  the 
world ;  and  I  shall  be  sorry  to  leave  her.  I  don't 
like  to  believe  she  is  not  my  mother,  after  all  she 
has  done  for  me.  I  don't  believe  she  ever  spoke  a 
cross  word  to  me  in  her  life  ;  "  and  the  tears  started 
in  the  boy's  eyes. 

"  I  don't  think  you  will  have  to  leave  her. 
Your  father  will  take  her  up  to  Belfast." 


THE  WBECK   OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  325 

"  And  all  the  money  came  from  my  father  ?  " 

"Yes;  I  have  carried  a  great  deal  to  her 
myself." 

Robert  Montague  continued  to  ask  questions  till 
the  buggy  stopped  before  the  door  of  the  cottage  in 
Camden.  Mrs.  Taylor  wept,  and  the  boy  wept,  as 
they  met.  He  wished  that  the  truth  had  not  been 
revealed  to  him.  Mr.  Barkesdale  went  to  the 
hotel,  and  Robert  spent  the  evening  with  Mrs. 
Taylor.  Ezekiel  was  at  home,  and  sober.  He  was 
permitted  to  know  where  the  money  which  had 
perplexed  him  so  much  came  from  ;  and,  as  the  son 
of  Colonel  Montague,  he  regarded  Robert  with 
respect  and  deference. 

Mrs.  Taylor  and  Robert  took  the  steamer  for 
Belfast  the  next  morning,  with  Mr.  Barkesdale. 
The  boy  was  dressed  in  his  black  suit,  and  looked 
like  another  person.  Colonel  Montague's  carriage 
was  waiting  for  them  when  the  steamer  arrived. 
As  Robert  entered  the  elegant  mansion,  now  "  the 
house  of  mourning,"  he  could  hardly  control  his 
violent  emotion.  Mr.  Barkesdale  conducted  him 
and  Mrs.  Taylor  to  the  library,  where  the  colonel 
was  alone.  As  they  entered,  he  walked  towards 
his  son,  grasped  him  by  the  hand,  and  turning 


326 

away  his  face,  wept  bitterly.  Robert  could  not 
help  weeping  in  sympathy. 

"  You  know  now  that  you  are  my  son,"  said  he, 
when  he  was  able  to  speak. 

"  Mr.  Barkesdale  told  me  all  about  it." 

"  You  are  my  son,  and  I  am  proud  of  you  ;  but 
I  have  been  a  coward,  Robert,"  added  the  colonel, 
with  anguish.  "  I  have  wronged  my  father,  who 
lies  dead  in  the  house  ;  and  I  have  wronged  you, 
my  son." 

"  No,  sir  ;  you  haven't  wronged  me,"  protested 
Robert. 

"  I  have  kept  you  out  of  your  birthright  for 
sixteen  years." 

"  I  couldn't  have  been  any  better  off  than  I 
was  with  Mrs.  Taylor,"  replied  the  boy,  turning  to 
the  woman. 

The  colonel  took  her  hand,  and  expressed  his 
gratitude  to  her  for  all  she  had  done. 

"  He  is  a  good  boy,  and  I  wish  he  was  my  son," 
said  Mrs.  Taylor.  "  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  losing 
him." 

"  You  shall  not  be  separated,  and  he  and  I  both 
will  see  that  you  never  want  for  anything  while 
you  live." 


THE  WRECK  OF   THE  PENOBSCOT.  3 27' 

Mrs.  Montague  and  Grace  were  sent  for,  and 
presently  appeared. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  my  boy,"  said  the  lady, 
as  she  took  both  his  hands.  "  You  are  my  son, 
now." 

"  And  did  you  know  I  was  Colonel  Montague's 
son  before  ?  "    asked  Robert. 

"I  knew  it  before  I  was  married  to  him,"  she 
replied.  "  My  husband  always  reproached  him- 
self—  and  now  more  than  ever — because  he  con- 
cealed his  first  marriage  from  his  father ;  but  my 
brother  and  I  always  thought  it  right  for  him  to 
do  so." 

"  I  know  it  was  wrong,"  added  the  colonel, 
bitterly. 

"  Undoubtedly  it  was  wrong  in  the  abstract,  but 
it  was  the  least  of  two  evils,"  said  Mr.  Barkesdale. 

"Now  you  are  my  brother,  I  shall  kiss  you 
again,"  was  the  greeting  of  Grace,  as  she  suited 
the  action  to  the  word. 

The  rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in  talking  over 
the  events  of  the  past,  and  Robert  Montague  was 
duly  installed  as  a  member  of  the  household.  The 
funeral  took  place  the  next  day,  and  hundreds  of 
people  stared  at  the  boy  who  rode  with  the  other 


328  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

members  of  the  family  in  the  first  carriage,  and 
wondered  why  he  was  there.  In  a  few  days  the 
strange  story  was  fully  circulated  both  in  Belfast 
and  in  Camden. 

On  the  day  after  the  funeral  Robert  returned 
to  his  former  home  with  Mrs.  Taylor.  He  was 
greeted  by  his  friends  with  a  deference  which 
made  him  feel  very  awkward  ;  and  when  he  went 
on  board  of  the  Skylark,  Monkey  hardly  dared  to 
speak  to  him.  But  he  soon  convinced  all  that  his 
altered  fortunes  had  not  changed  his  heart.  He 
was  more  amazed  himself  than  other  people  were 
to  find  himself  the  son  of  one  of  the  richest  and 
most  distinguished  men  in  the  state.  He  returned 
to  his  new  home  in  the  Skylark  on  the  same  day, 
and  arrived  soon  enough  to  give  Grace  a  sail  in  the 
yacht  before  dark. 

In  due  time  Robert  attended  the  trial  of  Cap- 
tain Chinks,  who  pleaded  guilty,  and  was  sen- 
tenced to  a  year's  imprisonment  for  opening  the 
letter  and  stealing  the  money.  The  yacht  and  the 
liquor  were  condemned  and  sold.  The  captain 
was  fined  a  thousand  dollars  ;  and  it  was  said  that 
he  got  off  easy  because  he  pleaded  guilty.  Colo- 
nel Montague  bought  the  Skylark  when  she  was 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  329 

sold,  with  his  son's  share  of  "  the  moiety  of  the 
penalty  and  forfeiture.''  With  his  father  as  a 
passenger,  Robert  sailed  the  yacht  home. 

The  Penobscot  was  got  off  by  the  sailing-master 
and  crew  at  the  next  tide  after  she  went  on  the 
ledge.  Buoyed  up  with  casks  she  was  towed  to 
Belfast,  where  she  was  put  on  the  ways,  and 
made  as  good  as  new. 

"  I  thought  your  sailing-master  was  rather  reck- 
less that  night,"  said  Robert,  one  day,  as  they 
passed  the  Penobscot  on  the  ways,  and  were 
discussing  the  mishap. 

"  It  was  not  his  fault.  The  wheel  broke  down," 
replied  the  colonel. 

"  I  didn't  know  the  wheel  broke." 

"  Yes  ;  that  was  the  trouble  ;  but  if  it  had  been 
the  sailing-master's  fault,  I  wouldn't  have  said  a 
word,  after  he  saved  my  father.  He's  a  brave 
fellow ;  he  is  like  you,  my  son.  If  you  had  been 
less  brave,  Robert,  Grace  would  Certainly  have 
been  drowned,  or  killed  on  the  rocks." 

Colonel  Montague  shuddered  as  he  thought  of 
such  a  calamity,  and  then  gazed  with  admiration 
upon  his  son. 


330  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,   OR 

"  I  would  have  done  that  any  time  for  the  fun 
of  it,"  laughed  Robert. 

"  It  was  hard  for  me,  when  we  met  on  the  deck 
of  the  Penobscot,  to  keep  from  telling  you  the 
truth  —  that  you  were  my  son." 

"  It's  all  right  now." 

The  conversation  turned  to  Mrs.  Taylor.  Colo- 
nel Montague  wanted  to  take  her  into  his  family, 
but  her  drunken  husband  was  in  the  way  of  such 
a  step.  On  one  of  her  trips  down  the  bay  the 
Skylark  put  into  Camden,  and  Robert  and  his 
father  called  upon  her. 

"  I'm  all  alone  now,"  said  Mrs.  Taylor,  after  she 
had  exchanged  greetings  with  her  visitors. 

"  Why,  where  is  Ezekiel  ?  "  asked  Robert. 

"  He  went  off  a-fishing  yesterday  in  Prince's 
boat,  and  caught  a  great  fare  of  mackerel.  He 
sold  them  for  nine  dollars,  and  of  course  he  has 
been  "intoxicated  ever  since.  This  afternoon  he 
got  into  a  quarrel  with  Moses  Pitkins,  and  struck 
him  with  a  club.  Both  of  them  were  drunk,  and 
they  say  Moses  is  so  badly  hurt  that  he  may  die. 
Ezekiel  was  taken  up,  and  sent  over  to  Rockland." 

"  Then  you  had  better  go  with  us  to  Belfast, 
Mrs.  Taylor,"  added  Colonel  Montague. 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT.  331 

Robert  begged  her  to  do  so,  and  she  consented. 
Squire  Simonton  was  engaged  to  defend  Ezekiel 
when  his  trial  came  off.  Mrs.  Taylor  went  to  Bel- 
fast in  the  Skylark,  and  was  kindly  welcomed  at 
the  elegant  mansion. 

Moses  Pitkins  did  not  die,  but  Ezekiel  was  sen- 
tenced to  two  months'  imprisonment.  Squire 
Simonton  labored  diligently  with  him  to  abandon 
his  cups ;  but  the  two  months'  abstinence  did  him 
more  good  than  the  arguments,  able  and  kind  as 
they  were.  When  he  was  discharged  he  returned 
to  Camden  to  find  his  home  deserted.  Squire 
Simonton  renewed  his  efforts  to  secure  the  reform 
of  the  toper.  He  assured  Ezekiel  that  his  wife 
would  not  live  with  him  if  he  continued  to  be 
intemperate.  He  promised  faithfully  never  to 
drink  a  drop,  and  the  squire  kept  an  eye  on  him. 
He  let  the  house  to  Prince,  and  boarded  with  him. 
He  went  to  work  at  his  trade,  and  people  said 
Ezekiel  Taylor  was  a  new  man  since  he  came  out 
of  prison.  Mrs.  Taylor  heard  of  his  good  behavior, 
and  came  down  to  see  him.  He  promised  her 
faithfully  that  he  would  never  drink  another  drop. 
Colonel  Montague  had  given  her  a  beautiful  little 
cottage  near  his  own  house,  handsomely  furnished, 


332  LITTLE  BOBTAIL,    OR 

when  the  reports  indicated  that  Ezekiel  had 
actually  reformed.  Having  satisfied  herself  of  the 
truth  of  the  report,  she  invited  him  to  his  new 
home.  Thus  far  he  has  kept  his  promise,  and 
both  are  happy  in  their  new  residence,  which 
Robert  visits  every  day,  and  sometimes  oftener. 

Mr.  Walker  and  his  family  spent  a  week  with 
the  Montagues,  in  September,  after  Mr.  Barkesdale 
had  gone.  Though  picnics  and  pleasure  parties 
were  not  in  order  so  soon  after  the  death  of  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Montague,  Robert  took  Grace  and  Emily 
out  to  sail  every  day  in  the  Skylark ;  and  up  to 
this  date,  he  thinks  Miss  Walker  is  the  prettiest 
girl  in  the  State  of  Maine.  He  may  change  his 
mind  within  ten  years;  but  if  he  does  not,  she 
will  probably  have  an  opportunity  to  accept  or 
refuse  his  hand. 

Monkey  was  retained  for  service  in  the  Skylark 
during  the  rest  of  the  season.  He  still  thinks  his 
friend,  the  skipper,  is  the  greatest  man  in  the 
world.  He  sends  a  portion  of  his  wages  to  his 
mother,  and  in  the  fall  moved  her  up  to  Belfast. 
Robert  goes  to  Camden  occasionally,  and  always 
calls  upon  Mr.  Simonton,  who  invariably  gives  him 
a  cheerful  welcome.     His  views  in  regard  to  smug- 


THE  WRECK  OP  THE  PENOBSCOT.  333 

gling  are  very  definite  now,  and,  as  Robert  Barkes- 
dale  Montague,  he  believes  that  fidelity  to  prin- 
ciple is  the  only  safe  rule  of  fife,  whether  it  brings 
worldly  prosperity  or  adversity,  as  did  Little 
Bobtail. 


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Yarns  of  an  Old  Mariner. 

By  Mrs.  Mary  Cowden  Clarke.     Illus- 
trated by  Cruikshank.  i6mo. 


Schoolboy  Days. 

By  W.  H.  G.  Kingston, 
teen  illustrations. 


i6mo.     Six- 


Great  Men  and  Gallant  Deeds. 

By  J.  G.  Edgar.     i6mo.     Illustrated. 

Four  books  by  four  noted  authors  comprise 
this  series,  which  contains  Adventures  by  Sea 
and  Land,  Manly  Sports  of  England,  Boy 
Life  in  English  Schools,  Fairy  Tales  and 
Legends,  —  all  handsomely  illustrated. 

Op         LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


The  Great   West, 

THE  FRONTIER  SERIES 

Five  vols.    Illustrated.    Per  vol.,  $1.25. 

Twelve  Nights  in  the  Hunters' 

Camp. 
A  Thousand  Miles'  "Walk  Across 

South  America. 

The  Cabin  on  the  Prairie. 

Planting  the  "Wilderness. 

The  Young  Pioneers. 

The  romance  surrounding  the  adventurous 
lives  of  Western  pioneers  and  immigrants 
has  suggested  nearly  as  many  stories  as  the 
chivalric  deeds  of  knight-eiTantry.  These 
tales  of  frontier  life  are,  however,  as  a  rule, 
characterized  by  such  wildness  of  fancy  and 
such  extravagancy  of  language  that  we  have 
often  wondered  why  another  Cervantes  did 
not  ridicule  our  border  romances  by  describ- 
ing a  second  Don  Quixote's  adventures  on 
the  prairies.  We  are  pleased  to  notice,  that 
in  the  new  series  of  Frontier  Tales,  by  Lee 
&  Shepard.  there  is  an  agreeable  absence  of 
sensational  writing,  of  that  maudlin  senti- 
mentality which  make  the  generality  of  such 
tales  nauseous."  —  Standard. 


LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


A     A 


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h 

J       MISS   LOUISE   M.   THURSTON  S 

CHARLEY  ROBERTS  SERIES. 


To  be  completed  in  six  vols.     Illustrated. 
Per  volume,  $i. 

How  Cliarley  Roberts  Be- 
came  a  JVlan. 

How  Eva  Roberts  Grained 
Her  Education. 

Charley    and    Eva's    Home 
in  the   ^VVest. 

(Others  in  Preparation.) 

In  presenting  the  above  new  series  the  publish- 
ers believe  that  they  are  adding  to  that  cla.is  of 
juvenile  literature  whose  intrinsic  worth  is  recog- 
nized by  those  who  have  at  heart  the  good  of  the 
young. 

"  They  are  pleasantly  written  books,  descriptive 
of  the  struggles  and  difficulties  of  Charley  and 
Eva  in  attaining  to  manhood  and  womanhood, 
and  they  are  well  adapted  to  stimulate  a  noble 
ambition  in  the  hearts  of  young  persons." 

LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


MAY    MANNERING  S 


HELPING  HAND  SERIES. 

Six  volumes.     Illustrated.     Per  volume,  $  i. 
Climbing  the   Rope. 
Billy   Grimes's    Eavorite. 

The  Crnise  of  the  IDasha- 

way. 

The    Little    Spaniard. 
Salt  TVater  Dick:. 
Little   Maid   of  Oxbow. 

"  'May  Mannering'  is  the  nom  de  plume  of  an 
agreenble  writer  for  the  young  folks  who  possesses 
more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  has  a  thorough 
comprehension  of  the  way  to  interest  children."  — 
Philadelphia  Item, 

"  We  like  the  spirit  of  these  books  exceedingly, 
and  cordially  commend  it  to  the  notice  of  Sabbath 
School  Libraries."  —  Ladies'  Jtejiository. 

LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


"Earuto  ano  attrartiue." 

VACATION  STORY-BOOKS. 

Six  vols.     Illust     Per  vol.,  80  eta. 

"Worth  not  Wealth. 

Country  Life. 

The  Charm. 

Karl  Keieiler. 

"Walter  Seyton. 

Holidays  at  Chestnut  Hill. 

ROSY  DIAMOND  STORY-BOOKS. 

Six  volumes.     Illustrated.     Per  voL,  80  cts. 

The  Great  Rosy  Diamond. 
Daisy,  or  The  Fairy  Spectacles. 
"Violet,  a  Fairy  Story. 
Minnie,  or  The  Little  "Woman. 
The  Angel  Childien. 
Little  Blossom's  Reward. 

These  are  delightful  works  for  children.  They 
are  all  very  popular,  and  have  had  a  wide  circula- 
tion. They  are  now  presented  in  a  new  dress. 
The  stories  are  all  amusing  and  Instructive,  ex- 
hibiting human  nature  in  children,  and  teaching 

some  very  important  practical  lesson*. 


I*        LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


"  JJagcinattng  ano  Ungtrudibe." 

THE  PROVERB  SERIES. 

By  Mrs.  M.  E.  Bradley  and  Miss 
Katb  J.  Nbbly. 

Six  vols.     Illust     Per  voL,  $t. 

Birds  of  a  Feather. 

Fine  Feathers  do  Not  make  Fine 
Birds. 

Handsome  is  that  Handsome  does. 

A  "Wrong  Confessed  is  half  Be- 
dressed. 

Actions  speak  Jouder  than  "Words. 

One  Good  Turn  deserves  another. 

"  Each  volume  If  complete  in  itself,  and  illus- 
trates, with  a  story  of  most  fascinating  and  in- 
structive interest,  the  proverb  taken  for  its  title. 
These  are  just  the  kind  of  books  that  we  like  to 
see  in  a  family  or  Sunday-school  library  They 
will  be  read  bv  persons  of  all  ages  with  deep 
interest,  and  afford  instructive  and  entertaining 
conversation  with  the  children." — S.  3.  Journal. 

LEE  ft  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boeton. 


